We all have those busy weekends once in a while. It happens whether we want it or not. So how can we best take care of ourselves afterwards? Below are a few things that have helped me in this area, and that you may want to try out:
1. Give yourself sufficient time to put away your material.
The more attention you take now to put it away properly and in an organized fashion, the easier it will be for your next event. You may even like to prepare some things in advance as you’re “putting away”. I like to give myself a minimum of an hour for this, often more, depending on the event and amount of details involved. This is also a time to record my expenses and earnings, contacts, list my to-do’s, prepare orders, etc. The sooner I’m able to get to this, the easier it is since it’s all still fresh in my mind.
2. Reflect and question yourself about the event.
How did it go? How did you feel? What were the best moments? What is something you would do differently next time? What did you learn? Keep note of all those things so that you can have it on hand for the next event.
3. Write yourself a congrats letter.
Include in all those things that you did well and that you made the time for, how you took good care of yourself during the event, etc. Even the tiniest details count. Remember, you’re your own best cheerleader. I love going back to these letters down the line. It brings back so many happy moments of the positives.
4. Take a break.
Whether half a day or one full day off, take whatever you can get away with or manage. If you’ve worked hard all weekend, you will need to give yourself permission to take some time off. Expositions, fairs or other weekend events can be very taxing and draining and if you don’t recuperate, you will feel the fatigue or lack of energy (and inspiration) for the rest of the week. It’s better to take a day off right after, then to try to keep working when you’re not at your very best. Included in this point, I would add sleep. Yes, take a nap, sleep in, catch up on some zzz’s. That’s truly important.
5. Do something you love to do.
Taking a day off doesn’t just mean catching up on sleep, emails or meal planning, cleaning your home… etc. It also means treating yourself to something fun, that would bring you some peace, joy and comfort. You worked very hard so now get in some “play” or relax time. You might want to read a good book, listen to a calming reflection, watch something meaningful, or listen to some music as you make art for a bit. Or bake something tasty and healthy, go for a walk or some exercise, whatever will get you feeling centered and refreshed and back on track for the next day/week of work.
I noticed that if I don’t stop to do these things, then it takes me a whole week (or longer) to recuperate. I’m curious to hear from you, what things help you to recuperate after a busy weekend?
