Have you had one of these days where you feel overworked and tired even after resting a moderate amount of time? Of course you have! In this day and age feeling like you just have no energy left after a good week of work is something normal, and in some cases (sadly) expected, but what can you do to regain energy and happiness on your weekends?

Well according to this study, you should start with spending money in a good experiences instead of buying new stuff, for example, you could go to a nice spa that offers relaxation massages rather than just buying a handheld massager, and by the way a single 45-minute Swedish massage decreases cortisol levels, boost the immune system’s white cells, reduces stress, improves sleep quality and decreases migraine frequencies, that’s a lot of wonders for just 45 minutes of relaxation.

And that is just one example; there are many other things you can do:

Taking a trip to a place you always wanted to go. The good news is that you do not need a long vacation to truly enjoy a new place near you, if you’re going to do something like taking a walk to a local park or a quick trip to a mountain a single Saturday is more than enough, if you think a single day won’t be enough for you then you can take the entire weekend for yourself at a nice touristic resort.

Spending time with friends and family. This might surprise you, but studies have shown that spending time with friends and family can help you sleep better. Inviting someone close to a local museum or just a cup of coffee and a good conversation are easy ways of catching up and enjoying some company, and if you’re lucky they will invite you back!

Doing an online search to know what interesting things you could do in your local area. Like yoga, for example, most cities have groups that practice it and there are many benefits to practicing it, if you’re feeling anxious or stressed practicing yoga will do wonders to your mental health, patients with proven coronary artery disease who practiced yoga exercise for a period of 1 year showed a decrease in the number of anginal episodes per week, enhanced exercise capacity, and reduction in body weight. On top of all these benefits you might even make new friends!

Keep in mind that experiences always come with good memories, so even after they happen you can cherish them for as long you can remember, and you can easily do that taking by pictures which you can then share them with friends!

Do not feel guilty for planning a nice weekend for yourself, feeling good and relaxed is important for your mental and physical health, it boosts your morale and can even be a good opportunity to get in touch with your friends and family, remember what they say “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.