{"id":1092,"date":"2012-06-22T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2012-06-22T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/happyhaven\/?p=1092"},"modified":"2012-06-21T23:22:06","modified_gmt":"2012-06-21T23:22:06","slug":"sweet-ways-to-savor-the-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/happyhaven\/2012\/06\/22\/sweet-ways-to-savor-the-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Ways to Savor the Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Remember when weekends were all about doing nothing? When you could lay back and lounge around with a intoxicating book and an ice cold drink? Weren’t those days the best?<\/p>\n

What happened to our weekends? Why have they been suddenly filled with plans, errands and to-do lists?<\/p>\n

Maybe we lost something when we embraced our technological culture. Yes, we may never have to deal with the discomfort of being bored again, but we also lose the sweetness that comes from simply savoring a moment.<\/p>\n

Not giving yourself time to unwind and relax can be detrimental to your physical and emotional health. Instead of continuing on this path of busyness, this weekend have fun with one of the activities below and indulge a little.<\/p>\n

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    1. Sleep in.<\/strong> Savor the feeling of cool sheets on your warm skin. Wear an eye mask to cover tired eyes and delight in the experience of being completely safe and embraced. Let yourself sink in a little and enjoy the feeling of having nowhere to go and nothing to do, but rest.<\/li>\n
    2. Be an animal watcher for the day.<\/strong> Whether it’s a pet or a bird outside your window, observing an animal is soothing simply because they are so in the moment. Try it and watch as your heart rate slows down and time starts to move like molasses.<\/li>\n
    3. Ground yourself.\u00a0<\/strong> Have you heard of grounding or earthing? It’s a fancy term for simply walking barefoot upon the earth. It is supposed to have healing and restorative benefits and is described as a type of meditation. Whether or not you believe it, taking time to walk upon the earth seems like a pleasant afternoon activity to me. You can learn more about grounding in the youtube video below.<\/li>\n
    4. Move slowly.<\/strong> Maybe because we’ve gotten so used to the speed of technology we all seem to be in a rush to get things down. Cars zip through red lights. Pedestrians barely escape getting hit while jaywalking across the street. I sometimes wonder where we’re in a rush to get to. Death? Life is meant to be lived not raced through. Try walking, eating, driving slower. See if it slows you down enough to help you digest every moment instead of trying to swallow it whole.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/ol>\n