How to separate your week from your weekend during lock down

Is it just us or are all the days rolling into one? 

It feels like there is no clear definition between a week day and the weekend for many of us that have been furloughed.  We're drinking because we're bored when we would usually wait until the weekend. We're binge watching Netflix and eating TV food late into the evenings because we don't have to get up to an alarm in the morning and even those of us who are still working but from home, are being more relaxed about our morning routine with the added flexibility of not having to commute or switch on our computer at a specific time.
Some of us are looking after children at home when they would normally have been at school or in childcare during the Easter Holidays but homeschooling and lock-down has meant we have had to find new ways to fit in our work hours, often working in the evenings or letting our work bleed into the weekend to make up hours spent with our children during the week....And why not? We're not going anywhere at the weekend and it's fun to spend time we wouldn't normally have with our kids.

But it's still important to have boundaries right? To know when it's time to switch off, settle down and relax and enjoy life.  There's much talk about having more time due to our circumstances, that we can slow down the pace of life, learn what we appreciate and treasure so when all this is over we don't go back to the treadmill of life where we're exhausted and overwhelmed.
So how do we do that when we've scattered our work hours, we're drinking alcohol every day, sleeping later in the mornings with no proper routines? What can we do to differentiate between the week and the weekend so we get proper family and down time, time to relax and reflect on our life, time to think about and discover how we can avoid jumping back on that treadmill? 

Here are my top 5 ways to avoid succumbing to the idea that "There's no point to the weekends" and instead celebrate the luxury of a weekend at home with our family.

1. Save your alcohol for the actual weekend.

Being as we're all about mindful drinking over here at Mindful Sips, saving your tipple for the weekend was always going to be tip number one!

It's so easy for the lines to blur and for new habits to set in especially when we don't have a place to be the next morning, don't have to worry about drink drive limits the morning after and can handle the after effects of a hangover because we can stay in our PJ's and eat comfort food without our boss even knowing. However, alcohol lowers our immune system which, on our trips out of the house for shopping or exercise, can leave us vulnerable to the very virus' we're on lock-down to avoid. Not to mention the mental health implications of long term regular drinking, especially if you already suffer with anxiety or depression.
Have clear boundaries about when you allow yourself to drink and save your 'I deserve it' drink for the weekend. Not only does it protect your health but it also gives you something to look forward to. 

2. Switch off from work when home has become your office

We don't all have a work space or an office to work in , many of us are working in a space we created in a corner of a room or communal areas like the kitchen or living room.  Even so, Friday is the start of the weekend so decide what time is 'clocking-off' time.  Shut your laptop/computer down. Clear away your papers, put your work phone where you can't easily check it just because your bored and have a clear time for when you will next access it and your computer.

3. Eat well and differently

If during the week you normally have a bowl of cereal or toast for breakfast mix it up at the weekend, have something that feels a little different. Have a hot breakfast, boiled eggs and toast or go all out and have a full cooked English breakfast.
Take the time to cook something from scratch or bake some delicious treats you can enjoy as part of your Saturday evening entertainment.  Baking and cooking can be very therapeutic when you have the time to do the little extras that make it feel luxurious.  Look locally at where you could order a take away for delivery and take the extra time you're not cooking to have a bath or snuggle on the sofa with your children to watch an extra episode of  their favourite programme.

4. Plan your weekend
Before all this, it was easy to be spontaneous and pop to the pub, join friends at your favourite restaurant or jump in the car and go for an adventure with the kids.  As things are, we need to be a little more inventive and plan ahead so we have clear expectations of how the weekend will be different.  Plan to build a house out of that empty box, plan to go on a nature hunt in the garden, plan to start that puzzle in the cupboard, plan to build a Lego rocket that can fly to the moon.  If you make a plan earlier in the week, everyone can look forward to it, the kids can stop nagging about it because they have firm knowledge about when it will happen and you have time to do any prep needed so it goes smoothly.  Also plan the time you will have for yourself, add in some self care to recharge your batteries; for some of us it's busier than our 'normal' working week because we're juggling all the 'things' and we need the time to rejuvenate and relax. Apart from anything else the 'plan' gives the signal for you AND the children that it's the weekend.  It may not be all that different to the fun you're having during the week but the language your using, the anticipation and the action is enough to differentiate it. 

5. Take your favourite activities online and arrange to meet up with your favourite people to do them.
Use your down time at the weekend to catch up with friend, arrange coffee mornings via zoom, make a special effort to chat to those in the family that you don't normally get the chance to catch up with.  So many family's are ferrying children from one club to the next at the weekend, our circumstances have given us the gift of extra time while we take a break from the usual routine.  Use the time to catch up where you don't normally have the opportunity.
There has been lots of social media posts about families getting together for a quiz or a movie night.  With the amazing technology we have there's no excuse not to enjoy one another's company; albeit not in person, the laughter and the love from a smile and kind words can be felt just the same.
Keep well you lovely lot

XO

PS. You can get lots of lovely hints and tips about being more mindful when drinking at home in our free ebook . Access it here