Working 9-5, five days a week is a slog and naturally, you’d find yourself terribly exhausted by the time the weekend rolls around. The anxiety these days feels overwhelming, and it can be hard to find healthy ways to de-stress and practice different forms of self-care. The weekend is usually when we are able to take good care of ourselves, and try out different things without the pressure of worrying about going to work the next day. If you’re looking for ways to manage your anxiety and feel relaxed and rejuvenated over the weekend, then read on for a few helpful tips. In our productivity-obsessed world, being able to unwind is sometimes seen as a guilty pleasure, when it should be part of your self-care regimen.

Watch a Comedy

Do you love television shows, or do you have the attention span for a feature-length film? In any case, if you choose to watch something during the weekend, make sure that it’s a comedy. Laughter is an excellent way to destress and is scientifically proven to help aid circulation while also reducing feelings of worry and anxiety. It definitely helps to lift your mood, which eventually can lead to a stronger immune system and help improve your health overall.

Try Better Habits

If you’re a former smoker who still has trouble fully detaching from the habit, especially during times of intense stress, then you should try to find a slightly less poisonous version of your guilty pleasure. For example, vaping is often stronger than smoking, and a bit healthier, compared to classic cigarettes. Smoking is, of course, bad for your health, and it might make things worse for you in terms of anxiety. At the same time, it’s understandable why people turn to it in times of extreme duress: it helps calm their nerves, if only for a few minutes. It’s better to avoid smoking altogether though and to try adopting better habits rather than ones that leave you feeling terrible afterward. 

Social Media Detox

Speaking of better habits, it’s really hard to truly relax these days given our obsession with social media. Detoxing from work emails and social media if only for a day will leave you feeling better about yourself and the world. It will also help ease the physical symptoms of anxiety tremendously. Also, checking and replying to work emails is an awful habit, one that is bound to leave you feeling depleted at a time when you should be relaxing, and getting ready for the next work week.

Take a Walk

Taking a walk first thing in the morning is guaranteed to make you feel better. You can work out the kinks right away, get rid of some lingering anxiety, and give yourself a chance to pay attention to the world around you: getting to know your neighbors or enjoying the neighborhood before it becomes super busy also provides a good mental break from the more serious issues you may be dealing with.

These days it can be incredibly difficult to detach from the hectic work week, and we sometimes feel compelled to continue working during the weekend. Unfortunately, hustle culture isn’t quite dead yet, but the narrative around it has shifted substantially. Taking some time to yourself during the weekend is the best thing you can do for your physical and mental health.