Off the cuff: Why recharge Sundays is the new mantra

We all look forward to well-earned rest from work as the weekend draws near. But somehow that one or two days (depending on the length of your weekend) seem to rush past without your having a chance to rewind or relax. We learn that anticipation is always sweeter than the actual event. So, all our grand plans to fit as much activity as we can into that limited time-frame always backfires. That’s because we are approaching it the wrong way.

Now recharge Sundays is the new mantra. There is no longer the need to brag about your busy weekend and how much you managed to fit into it. What’s the point of a flurry of activity that leaves you drained as you step on the threshold of a new week?

Instead, get rid of guilt feelings and just take things easy. Lie in bed all day and binge watch TV as you snack on all those delicious forbidden foods. Like Scarlet O’Hara, tell yourself tomorrow is another day. Savour your precious Sundays. Catch up on your reading. Talk to all those friends or family you have been neglecting for lack of time. Or visit that neighbourhood park you pass by every day on your way to work.

Treat your weekend like a mini vacation and switch off from all that occupies your mind during the week.

I have realised the importance of resetting and re-energising, albeit a bit too late. Now that I don’t have a nine-to-five job and have the freedom to do what I want when I want, I look back at my working career and realise that my weekends were the most stressful part of the week. I felt compelled to do all the household chores that had been postponed for the weekend.

I believe it is important to take the time to do something you love at the weekend, whether it is gardening, going for a walk, visiting a friend whom you haven’t seen for a while due to time or work constraints or even cooking a meal for your loved ones (if you’re the type who finds feeding others gives you great joy).

- Vanaja Rao

Having a relaxed time was the last thing on my mind. All I knew was that there were some unpleasant tasks that had to be accomplished before I could sit down with a book if I didn’t want to be assailed by feelings of guilt. The end result was that by the time the new week began, I felt completely washed out and, yes, even eager to get back to work.

So, when I was asked what kind of weekend I had had, all I could say was “the usual”, an answer so vague that it could be interpreted in many different ways. As someone rightly said the only reason why other people ask how your weekend was is so they can tell us about their own.

Just spending time with family is what Sunday is all about. Talking about the week that has gone by and sharing experiences, or sitting down to a leisurely meal together is what makes this time well spent. The simple pleasures of life are under-rated. Our idea of a perfect weekend varies depending on our age.

Teenagers would prefer to hang out with their friends while younger children require entertainment to keep them from saying “I’m bored” at regular intervals.

I believe it is important to take the time to do something you love at the weekend, whether it is gardening, going for a walk, visiting a friend whom you haven’t seen for a while due to time or work constraints or even cooking a meal for your loved ones (if you’re the type who finds feeding others gives you great joy).

“It is OK if every weekend doesn’t lead to big moments. Some weekends may be quiet, still, with plenty of room to contemplate.” These are wise words indeed. We all have choices when it comes to how we spend our free time.

Vanaja Rao is a freelance writer based in Hyderabad, India.