I firmly believe in taking a day off to just relax at least once every couple of weeks. If I had the money to, I would spend this day getting a massage or going shopping. But I'm broke so this is my cheap alternative. I don't always do the same thing every time, but here's some of my lazy evenings.
Movie Time
First things first, ya gotta be cozy to be planted in front of your TV for a couple of hours. I bought this onesie to wear for a PJ day for my sorority as a joke, but jokes on me because I actually wear this more often than I probably should. It's not so much that it's comfortable and warm (which it is), it's that almost every time I have a lazy day I end up wearing this so once I put it on my brain goes in to relaxation mode.
Then I grab some ice cream because calories don't count on lazy days. It's a scientifically proven fact. And ice cream is practically required when watching a rom com. I also grab some extra buttery popcorn because you can't have a Netflix binge without popcorn. If you're worried about this being too much food, Ben and Jerry's makes single serving ice cream that are the perfect size.
Last week iTunes celebrated their 10th anniversary with a 10 movies for $10 promotion. I got the Paramount Drama bundle (it was yellow) and it came with Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Selma, The Wolf of Wall Street, Flight, No Strings Attached, Fighter, Up in the Air, Tropic Thunder, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Zodiac for $10. Obviously I was all set for a movie night haha.
Bath Time
I'm a sucker for a good bubble bath. But it's because they are SO relaxing! If you haven't had a relaxing bath, the key is to take a tip from the babies. What I mean by that is Johnson & Johnson Baby lavender bubble bath. It's made to help babies fall asleep easier so it's very comforting. Enjoy yourself and pour in the entire bottle of bubbles so that they're everywhere! I also use an overflow cover so that I can fill my bathtub up as much as possible, so that I can really soak and relax. Long-burning candles and a cheap bottle of wine are also necessities.
Usually the problem with baths is that sitting in a tub by yourself is pretty boring. Sometimes I'll listen to a chill Spotify playlist, but even that can get monotonous. The trick here is to bring your iPad or laptop in your bathroom and set it up on your toilet or somewhere near your tub, and then you can watch shows. If you have an iPad, almost every channel has apps that you can download and watch their lineup of shows or even live TV.
FaceTime
Although I've moved back to where I went to undergrad, a good number of my friends have graduated and moved on and I'm still a day's drive from my family. When I get busy reading case after case, it's easy for me to neglect those long-distance relationships. Either I'll forget to respond to their texts or any phone call is cut short because I really need to be studying. But if I've already decided that the rest of my day isn't going to be productive, then I can take the time to FaceTime someone and catch up. Just a one-hour conversation once and a while can really help when you start to get homesick or miss a friend.
If face-to-face conversations aren't your thing, then you should at least call them! I know that long phone calls can be boring because you're just sitting there on the phone, but if you get some colored pencils and an adult coloring book then you can keep yourself occupied while you're chatting. Even better, as a gift idea I got one of my friends the exact same coloring book I have and now we can pick a page and doodle on it together while we talk. It makes the distance feel closer when you're doing the exact same thing, and can give you something to talk about as you both try to figure out what that one weird shape is supposed to be.
Final Thoughts
This post probably sounds cheesy because like duh it's not hard to do nothing. That's not the point. The point is that law school is probably already stressing you out. I wish I could say that it gets better but really it just tends to pick up and get more busy. If you don't take this time and allow (or force) yourself to take a break, you're going to get burned out really quickly.
I remember at my first orientation, the Assistant Dean was talking about how as a 1L he decided to take Sundays off, but then fell behind and never took another day off like that again. Sorry but I think that is terrible advice. I was so scared of falling behind my first semester that I drove myself in to stress attacks. If you think you won't have time for a full lazy day, at least try to have a productive first 1/2 of the day and then let yourself breathe for the rest of the day. Trust me when I say that you'll study better when you're not on the verge of a mental breakdown. Plus after weeks of doing nothing but reading, you deserve this! So go have a "fuck it" day :)
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