How to make the most of my days off work?

[sunnydaysarrived]

I work 3-4 consecutive days of 12 hour shifts followed by 3 days off. I'm starting to feel really down and blah about life and I think it's because I'm not using my days off well. I feel like I'm so tired from working that I spend most of my days off at home in my PJs recovering. It all feels a bit joyless and relentless.

I'm in my 20s, no children and single and don't have many friends in my local area to meet with. Most of my days off tend to fall during weekdays which limits my ability to meet up with friends/family. It's also harder due to COVID restrictions.

Does anyone have any advice/tips on how to make the most of my days off?

I would do:

1. Leisurely breakfast
2. Exercise. Preferably pre-booked and out the house.
3. Any errands.
4. Nice lunch
5. Relaxing time at home.

Gosh, be careful what you wish for! I’d love to do nothing in my PJs on my days off. I would read and catch-up on TV etc.

When you have your own house or kids, there is always something to do. I was saying to my DH the other day that before having our DD, I would come home from work and veg on the sofa all evening. I am busier now in my 40s than I’ve ever been.

But in your shoes I would try and get out more. When possible perhaps join a club - maybe sports or pottery painting. Go for a bike ride, learn to paint, or musical instrument, take someone’s dog for a walk (you always get talking to people).

Maybe do some easy voluntary work/help out at local church - just to get meeting people. Go to a coffee shop.
Discover nice walks in your area - I have in lockdown - ones right on my doorstep that I never knew were there.

I would try and do things that allow you to meet people but I know that may be difficult, depending on how outgoing you are. Sometimes though, it’s good to be pushed out of our comfort zone.

Good luck.

Treat your first day off as a rest day, to relax at home and maybe plan a few lazy activities - reading a book, Netflix, gardening, trying a new recipe, making a nice lunch, painting your toenails.

Day 2 - force yourself to go out, go for a walk, do a grocery shop, invite someone over for dinner, met a friend for lunch during their break. It can work well having days off when many people are at work, as places are less busy, so take advantage of quieter shops, galleries and museums.

I work long days and often feel I’ve wasted a day off. I have school run to do when not at work so that’s gets me up and dressed at least. Why do t you give yourself day 1 to relax, sleep in and chill but make plans for day 2 & 3 to be more structured. I find writing a list of all the things you want to achieve helps. Add to it pre-booked stuff like gym session or swimming, allocate it a time (COVID helps with this) and any admin/errands/cleaning jobs then at the end of the day you can see visually what you have achieved.

Day 1:- rest. Sleep/pamper/tv/reading

Day 2:- life admin. Food shop/meal prep/house cleaning

Day 3:- social. Try and book in a walk with a friend or just take yourself off to the local town or walking route with a coffee etc.

12 hour shifts are a killer.

1. Get up and go to bed at the same time you would on work days.
2. Get outside in daylight for at least 20 minutes
3. Eat regular meals.

Once you are in s good day off routine you can add in more structured things. I often walk in the morning for a good hour and then catch up with jobs at home (shopping, cleaning etc) and often have an afternoon nap on the couch.

My DH used to have a similar work pattern and it sounded great in theory but he never really got anything done and missed out on a lot of family and friend occasions.

I'm not sure if yours is a 7 day pattern as you say you work 3 or 4 days? If it is 7 day pattern then I'd definitely recommend joining something that maybe falls on day 3 or 4 of your time off so you aren't too tired to enjoy it.
If It's NOT a 7 day pattern then clubs are hard as you won't be free the same day each week but our local college does weekend workshops in various things so there might be some interesting one-off workshops or courses to attend that way?

Don't feel bad about writing Day 1 off, a 12 hour shift is so draining and leaves no time to recharge your batteries. But, what i try to do is go swimming on a Saturday morning. Feels counter-intuitive as I'm knackered after working but it means even if I don't get much done for the rest of the day then at least I'll have done one positive thing.

Re friends and family, book things way in advance with people (we found that really useful as no-one ever knew which weekends we would be free so the onus was on us to find mutually convenient times) so you can see that there are things to look forward to all the time.

Join a gym or sports club that gives discounts for off peak use that you can make the most of.

Sorry just saw you have 3 days off, not 4, but hopefully my post still makes sense!

I would try and join a gym with various fitness classes on different days and try to get up and out to a class on a couple of the days off. I always feel better on my day off if I come home and slob when I've done something productive in the morning.