The BEST Ways To Relax This Weekend

With Summer almost over it's time to enjoy it as much as you can. Even during quarantine, there are a lot of fun ways for you to enjoy what free time you have left.

For students, this is the time to enjoy your summer before school starts up again. For those already out in the workforce, it's time to enjoy the warm weather and sunlight and relax after a long work week.

Summer weekends definitely have a special place in everyone's hearts. There's just something magical about packing up the car for a weekend camping trip, or those lazy Saturday nights in front of a campfire roasting s'mores.

Indoors or outdoors, here's a list of the best ways to relax this weekend.

Go Sunbathing/Swimming

If you are one of the lucky few that has access to a pool, soak it up for the rest of us.

A private pool is relaxing and quiet, and the perfect place to get some sun in. And if you are near a public pool or lake, make sure to practice social distancing!

Maybe there's an ocean or lake by you. If so, can we visit?

The beach is the perfect place for a day trip. Bring your favorite book (or listen to your favorite podcast!), sunbathe, and relax.

Make sure to use sunscreen! Nothing is worse than having a great day swimming and sunbathing then waking up the next morning as red as a tomato.

Go on a Hike

Hiking may just be the perfect outdoor quarantine activity.

Go with a partner, family, or alone. If you do go by yourself, make sure it's only on safe trails you know well! Unless you want to act out My Side of The Mountain and hollow out a tree to live in. Or maybe you are pulling a similar act to Tom Sawyer and running away to be a pirate. (Mountain pirate anyone?)

If you decide not to run away to love in nature, take the time to enjoy the peaceful outdoors and relax in the sunlight. Not only is hiking good for you physically, but it's also good for you mentally.

Hint: if you take a dog, hiking is ten times as fun!

Try Some Yoga!

Maybe sweating in the outdoors isn't your thing, or maybe you enjoy a less-strenuous workout. Whatever the case, yoga is an excellent alternative.

Yoga can be done inside or outside and is a wonderful way of relaxing both your mind and your muscles after working all week.

If you are a beginner, there are plenty of free yoga classes online and on workout apps.

Listen to a podcast (OBVIOUSLY!)

Great way to relax!

Put on your headphones, lay back, and enjoy whatever your guilty-pleasure podcast is.

Maybe try a new podcast and binge this weekend.

One of our favorite podcasts is Behind the Doc. If you love movies, this one is a guaranteed hit.

Try an Outdoor Movie Theater/Drive-in Theater

Both entertaining and social distancing safe, a drive-in movie is arguably one of the best ways to spend your Saturday night.

With BYOC (bring your own car), people can go and see the latest movies, or re-runs of their favorites, without having to worry about leaving enough chairs in between groups.

Make sure to bring some popcorn and candy!

Anything Artistic

If you haven't done so in a while, it may be time to take out those brushes and canvas and do a bit of painting.

Or, if painting isn't your thing, doing some digital illustration or sketching is a great way to get your artistic juices flowing.

Try looking online for the latest trends to try, or look outdoors for inspiration.

Painting Plein Air (out in nature with the subject in front of you) is a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday. Have a cup of tea or wine out in your back garden and spend some time painting nature.

Are comics more of your thing? If so, try getting some artistic inspiration from our podcast Drawn and Paneled. With lots of comic-related news, reviews, and insights, this podcast is everything comic based.

Go on a Picnic

Having a picnic outdoors is one way you can see friends while still distancing.

Staying six feet apart may mean raising your voice a bit more when sharing all your new tea, but being able to safely see friends and family is worth it.

Don’t forget snacks and your mask!

Read a book

This weekend may be the perfect time to finish that book you've been putting off.

Maybe it's that self-help book that's been sitting on your desk for months, or that childhood favorite you're re-reading for the fifth time. Whichever it is- get your bookmark ready and enjoy.

Do you think you can finish a book in one weekend? Challenge accepted?

Work on Writing a Book

Just like reading a book, sitting down and finding the time to write a book can be a challenge.

Well, this weekend is your chance. Take out your laptop, your sticky notes, maybe even your grandma's old typewriter, and get to writing.

Could be only a chapter or two, or maybe you finish several.

However much you write, each page further expands your created world and gets you one step closer to being able to say you've written a book.

Learn a new recipe

Pizza, homemade pasta, taquitos, orange fudge brownies, lemonade cookies….

All of these are “somewhat” easy to learn to make.

From challenging recipes like homemade pizza dough and sauce, to easier recipes like spicing up your box brownies with a burst of fresh orange flavoring, any of these would make an excellent addition to your recipe knowledge.

With tons of recipe sites online, you are one quick google search away from learning an enticing new one to impress yourself with.

If you love sugary food you may know that processed sugar isn't all that good for you. All those chemical replacement products aren't great either.

One way of replacing those chemicals in recipes is with something ooey and gooey and downright delicious....maple syrup!

Listen below to a podcast with Michelle Visser, she's the author of the book Sweet Maple, which literally tells you how to make sugar in your backyard.

Do Some Online Gaming

When you hear online gaming, you may think only of video games. And while those are certainly one way to spend your weekend, there are also hundreds, if not thousands, of other online games to play.

Group monopoly, go fish, solitaire, poker, chess, checkers, and more can all be found online.

So, if you've been missing those weekly game nights with your friends... miss no more and schedule an online session!

Attempt a DIY project

If you've done all the things above and you're STILL BORED, maybe it's time to tackle that home DIY project.

Cleaning out your pool or organizing your garage, summer is an excellent time to do the huge cleaning projects you don’t have time for the rest of the year.

We at Evergreen hope you have a great relaxing weekend!