to ask what to do with my day off?

[cjt110]

I am soon reducing my hours and going from a 5 to a 4 day week. My day off will be on a Friday - DS will be at nursery and then at school.

I don't remember the last time I had time to myself and am aware I might end up at a loss of what to do.

So, what can/should I do? If you've adjusted to going part time, how did you find it? I don't want to end up doing cleaning or house stuff - I can do that on the other days and am concerned I will end up bored.

What about your local FE college? Part time courses probably start in September. There might be something on Fridays that you fancy

ElementalHalfLife Sorry I didn't mean it in a nasty way. But seemingly the events on the page look to be for retired people.

Di11y I don't think there is one

5foot5 I'll have a look. My first instinct is "Not more education" but you might be right.

Oh my. I just checked the web site for my local college and found they are starting a Pottery Workshop in September. 10 weeks with one 2 hour a session per week during the day. I hope they are still doing that in a few years time when I retire!

An introduction to bee keeping
Bricklaying
Joinery
Level 2 first aid
then sports courses......

None for me.

Get sweaty in gym.
Then home- n ew book/magazine- at LEAST 2 hours of chill out lying in bed/on sofa/in bath with a cup of tea/something naughty and or glass wine while listening to Jazz Fm.

Do the odd 1/2 hr blitz of bedrooms/laundry/dishwasher but don't spend whole day doing this.

I'd love to become a gym bunny. We have a gym on our complex but I struggle. And I can't afford the astronomical costs of a membership.

I know I guffawed - I'd love to lose my post baby - now almost 4 year old - weight and tone up but the gym bores me.

Classes I like but again, it costs the earth

In my area there is a ladies cycling group on a Friday. I find there are loads of things to do on a Friday, so many people either work from home with flexibility to adjust their hours, or don't work at all on a Friday.

If it's a really bad day for activities where you are, is there any chance of changing your day off? The last time I worked a 4 day week I had Wednesdays off. Though I found that a bit awkward as the town where I live still had early closing on a Wed and the library was closed etc.

running Not really. I fought long and hard to reduce my hours and Fridays are most suited to me the business.

What kind of place do you live in - is it big enough to have an art gallery and/or museum for a wander round to see if there's anything that fires your imagination to want to know more about it? Do you like music, and have a decent internet connection? There are lots of high quality resources out there if you fancy listening, not your average YouTube quality.

Do you have a local dramatic society that would appreciate another volunteer? How about modelling for a still life art class?

Can you sew; if not, would you like to learn? Does your local college offer classes, or perhaps a sewing machine shop big enough to host classes. It's a really useful skill, not just for kiddies and your own clothes, but to make curtains and blinds, and perhaps on to reupholstering a chair or two.

Can you knit? There are some gorgeous yarns and patterns out there, not stuff your granny would ever think of knitting! If you start from scratch with either knitting or sewing, look for an Etsy class for beginners, or for sewing, Silhouette Patterns have some great video resources available.

Just reading quietly, something interesting, listening to the author's voice in your head. Books are dangerous things, full of ideas you might never have thought of yourself and want to know more about, and perhaps do more about.

Townswomen's Guild? My sister is a member and does on loads of outings and activities

Townswomens Guild

If you're into crafting, our local hobbycraft does classes. There are also things going on at the community centre; you might be able to find a cheaper exercise class?

I’m full time but do compressed hours so have a day off every week (standard in my office, not because of childcare or anything)

I find it really benefits my mental health to have a days downtime midweek (I have a long history of anxiety and depression).

I arrange routine doctors appointments, dentist, optician etc for my day off. I do my hobbies (one at home, one outside the home), I go to the shops, I do housework, I batch cook. It really depends what needs doing and what I feel like doing.

I wouldn’t go back to five day weeks for anything!

I sleep, do laundry and swim on my day off

Do you have a bike??

Do you have a bike??

...and a camera?

I'll be in this situation in Sept. I'm going to pursue my hobby

I don't ride a bike, am not really info craft things... I;m a bit odd I suppose in that I don't know what I like.

I used to love reading and could get through books very easily but now struggle due to lack of concentration, linked to my MH issues.

I suppose I'm hoping that this day to myself without responsibility to or for anything/anyone will turn me into some magical being who feels OK and isn't the bitter haggard person I have turned into.

My post was deleted... lol. Thanks for the reports!

You sound to me rather like how I felt when I moved house last year, after 33 years in the house I'd imagined would be my home for the rest of my life. I moved after years of violence from my ex during our marriage and after, which the police did nothing about even though I had a restraining order against him. This led to my mental and physical health deteriorating, and I'm disabled anyway so everything was complicated.

For several months I took settling in and disposing of stuff I didn't want, very slowly, and spent quite a lot of time just sitting at home and looking around me, knowing that this place is all mine and I don't have to do anything I don't want to. I was so exhausted I couldn't have done anything else. This was a quiet, peaceful time; I'd held on to what I knew I wanted, and it was enormously soothing to me. If peace and quiet are what you need for your time to yourself, make it so(!), it's not wasted time, you're taking care of yourself. After several months of this I gradually 'woke up' again, free of all the worries I'd had, and am getting back to doing the things I love.

Wishing you all the best.

Good post, Feisty !

cj - maybe just sitting around in silence will help you to heal and to eventually work out what you want to do. Don't put pressure on yourself to be doing something on your days off; as Feisty says, just "being" and looking after your mental health is so important, and sounds like just what you need.

See if there are keep fit/Zumba/yoga in a church hall, or community centre rather than gym. If you fancy it but can’t afford gym membership (no puregym or gym group near?).

Go to the library and mooch around.

Take yourself for a coffee and take a book or magazine.

Very low today truth be told and your post has made me cry Fiesty It makes me realise that my life is good and wtaf do I have to worry about? Yet here I am, miserable.

Do you like animals? You could volunteer to walk dogs for your local shelter.

Swimming at your leisure centre
Classes there
Climbing lesson
Art lessons

Sleep? Watch tv? Box set you've always wanted to Watch? Binge watch Friday.

Cinema?

Again, Sleep?

You see the pattern here..

I genuinely have no idea. I want to get out there and do something but the thought of it, and the cost, just scares me into thinking I'll just stay at home. But then I will get bored and just do the same shit I usually do.