10 Impulsive Activities You’re Doing That Can Demolish Your Off-Day

Learn to relax.

Can you just sit down and enjoy your day off for once?

You always find the need to get something done. When you get one thing done, you promise to yourself you’re done for the day. Then it snowballs and your day is over. So much for a day off.

So to get your ass in relax-mode, here are ten impulsive activities you’re doing that can destroy your day off. I’ve done them all.

1. Staring at your calendar — When you’re a workaholic like me, your calendar is constantly marked. It’s right above my desk on a bulletin board so I see it every time I sit down. All that does is get you worried about dates and then you start working on stuff that isn’t due for weeks.
2. Going to the gym — Man I hate what working out has done to me. Now I feel the need to exercise every day or else I don’t deserve to go outside. That small gym habit you created turns into an everyday habit for years. Break out of it to maintain your physical health.
3. Worrying about your appearance — When I stare into the mirror too much, I start getting judgmental. I start thinking about what I should change about my face and body. I get so invested that I start telling myself I’m ugly. Don’t let your mirror-check spiral into a never-ending cycle of body dysmorphia.
4. Looking at the news — Not only did this ruin my whole day, but I couldn’t sleep at night. When I found out Kobe Bryant died, I couldn’t even eat a meal with my sister. I started shaking at night thinking about how my death would be. Stop scaring yourself to death and live each day like it’s your last.
5. Thinking about the health of loved ones — This is in your face. I cried all day when I found out my mom had cancer. I’ve never experienced something like that before. Thank god she’s going to be cancer-free after this surgery they do on her.
6. Eating a bunch of unhealthy food — This goes with the calendar habit I mentioned earlier. I find myself eating a crapload of food whenever I get worried about assignments. I also eat as fast as an Olympic medal runner. I almost threw up because of this and felt sick the whole day. Eat healthy and slow, please.
7. Tensing up your face — I do this without knowing it. I clench my face when I’m focused on getting something done (like this article). I got a massive tension headache a couple of months ago. I spent every day with a sleeping mask on my face laying down in a dark room. These aren’t fun at all so make sure to relax your face muscles.
8. Getting self-conscious about your career — I treat my writing career as a king. I want to excel at my craft no matter the cost. Sometimes this requires some sacrifices. I’m willing to do them, but to what extent? I can’t obsess over my career every single day. Everything will take care of itself in the long run.
9. Worrying about how you’re going to get through the next day — I do this all the time. Whenever I have an off-day, I try and figure out what’s next. I’m never sure how I’m going to get through the next day because life can be such a cycle of the same shit. That’s why I always make sure I have something to look forward to every day.
10. Staying up until 3 am when you’ve got to wake up early tomorrow — Since I’ve spent my day off doing these impulsive activities, I stay up late to compensate for it. All that does is put a wrench in my morning routine. I overslept once because of this and it ruined my workday as well as my off day. Go to bed and get your rest for tomorrow.

Final Thoughts

I’ve done all of these impulsive activities that have turned my off-days into a living hell — literally.

It sucks how just one of these activities can ruin your mental health day. You need a strong consciousness and self-awareness to fight them. If you promise yourself to close-off the outside world and do what makes you happy, I know your off-days will get better over time. I know you can do it.

Enjoy your day off.

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