Address the stress of the week with these entertaining endeavours to help you soothe anxiety over the weekend

Sometimes, making it to Friday can feel like a real challenge, with anxiety and stress occupying our minds – bringing down our mood, and draining our resilience. When we do eventually get to the weekend, it can be easy to use it as a time to catch up on all the things we were too overwhelmed to do during the week and then, before we know it, it’s Monday, and the cycle starts all over again before we’ve had time to catch our breath.

So, if you’ve had a full-on week, your stress levels are peaking, and you’re struggling with anxiety, we’ve got some suggestions for ways you can make each weekend one dedicated to rest and rejuvenation.

Escape to a different world

When daily life gets too much, escape the toil with the power of stories. If you’re a reader, this may be the time to curl up with the book that’s been sitting in your to-read pile for a while. Or if films are more your thing, settle down with a warm drink and spend the next couple of hours in a whole new world.

When deciding on how to pass your time, it might be worth considering exactly what you need from this activity. Are you looking for a good laugh? An inspirational message? A drop of nostalgia? Or total escapism into a fantasy world?

Whatever you go for, bring some mindfulness into it. If you notice that your attention is starting to wander, prompting that anxiety to creep back in, try to recognise those thoughts, let them go, and bring your focus back to the film or book you’re absorbing.

Go somewhere new

You won’t need your passport for this one, because even a trip half an hour down the road will do. Stuck in our routines, we can end up going between the same places again and again. Going off and discovering somewhere new breaks those daily patterns that can, sometimes, bring us so much anxiety.

What’s more, we also get that sense of adventure and discovery, something that we adults tend to do less of as we settle down. If you’re near the coast, finding a new seaside spot has the added benefit of ‘blue therapy’ – which refers to the soothing feeling we feel when next to large bodies of water. But those of us who are landlocked still have so much to gain from natural spaces such as forests and dales. Or, visit the next town over. Trawl for treasures in charity shops, find yourself a warm, cosy coffee shop, and there are always unexpected, quirky delights to be found in local museums.

Learn some new self-care skills

Self-care is something that is spoken about a lot in health and wellness communities. And you might have a good idea of the basics (making nourishing food, taking a relaxing bath, journaling), but now might be a good time to learn some new techniques like self-massage, ‘morning pages’, relaxing yoga routines, or even birdwatching.

Prioritise and delegate household chores

Sadly, as much as we might wish it, household chores don’t halt when we need a break. But if you do need to get things done this weekend, see whether you can shake things up.

Firstly, have a stern look at your to-do list. You might a

Hey hey! How are you? Happy Friday! I’m so glad the weekend is here. I’m looking forward to a yoga class with a friend, a mom-daughter date with Liv, Super Bowl fun (not the game, but the snacks and company), and getting caught up around the house. Another something kind of exciting: I’m teaching a strength and conditioning class at the dance studio for the kids this weekend. I’m nervous about it (tough crowd lol), but I’m really looking forward to sharing some tools and strategies that can help support their flexibility and tumbling. I hope it goes well and that they enjoy it!

This past weekend, we had a family staycation in Phoenix for an Air Force awards banquet. I flew from Santa Barbara into Phoenix, did my makeup in the ladies’ room at the airport while I waited for the crew, they swooped me,  and we headed straight to the event. One of our beloved babysitters lives in Phoenix, so she was able to hang out with the girls in our hotel room (they ordered room service and played games) while we were at the ceremony.

2 more years of getting to see this guy in his mess dress uniform so I better live it up. 😉

(My dress is here)

A few friends have asked about the Pilot’s work situation! The Pilot is finishing his Air Force retirement right now and is commander of one of the squadrons. He’s still employed commercially and will head back to the airlines after retirement.

The event was one of the best Air Force events I’ve attended. They had live music and dancing during the ceremony – ballet, modern, and lyrical performances to a variety of music styles. It included the traditional and more somber aspects of formal military events (presentation of the colors, National Anthem, ceremony for fallen soldiers and POWs, in addition to the awards and recognition), and the live performances were such a thoughtful way to make the event even more engaging and enjoyable.

We stayed at the Wigwam Resort, which was where the banquet was held, and the kids were obsessed with it. We definitely need to to back and bring our swimsuits for the water slides! We had breakfast at the hotel before hiking Camelback.

(I had the overnight oats, eggs, and an orange juice, and the Pilot and I split an acai bowl because we both wanted to try it)

The kids said we couldn’t go to Phoenix without hiking Camelback, so of course we had to take them. I love

Ready to let love in? From tracks that capture everyday moments to proud declarations, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best love songs that really get relationships right

Ah, the classic love song. There’s something irresistible about cranking up the volume on a track that tells the story of one the most intense feelings we can have. From belters to laments, these tunes have the ability to tap into the highs and lows of our love lives – being there for us when we need them the most.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being seen by a song – or of sitting back and taking in the lyrics as each one hits the nail on the head. It’s a cathartic experience, reminding us that we’re not alone, whether that be in our happiest moments or through challenging times. So, here, we’re giving you a leg-up for finding your perfect match, with 10 songs that get relationships right.

1. ‘All I Want is You’, Barry Louis Polisar

Sometimes, love and relationships can feel vast and complex – and, sometimes, they're simple. A foot-tapping track that had its time to shine in the iconic opening of the film Juno, ‘All I Want is You’ breaks those big feelings down to celebrate the simplicity of love, and the ways that we go together with our perfect match.

2. ‘Bless the Telephone’, Labi Siffre

This one is for all the long-distance lovers out there. With its simple, yet passionate, guitar lines, ‘Bless the Telephone’ traces a phone conversation between two people, thankful for these small moments of connection that can mean so much.

3. ‘You’ve Got the Love’, Florence + The Machine

A song that has become iconic since its release (no doubt helped by the fact that President Obama included it on his 2012 official Spotify campaign playlist), ‘You’ve Got the Love’ channels the euphoria that can come with good love. So, put your hands in the air, because this love will see you through!

Tender, salty, corned beef, bite-size chunks of potatoes, and shredded green cabbage are combined in a savory broth to make this corned beef soup. This meal never fails to make everyone in my family happy.

Corned Beef Soup

On the chance that you are lucky enough to have some leftover corned beef waiting in the fridge, this recipe will make the most of it. If you don’t happen to have corned beef in the house already, this corned beef and cabbage soup recipe is worth a trip to the store.

Savory and flavorful, I could happily breathe in the smell of this simmering soup all day long. However, lucky for all of us, a brief simmer is all it really needs to wilt the cabbage, making it tender and not turning it to mush.

The short simmer makes this a great recipe to pull together on a busy night. Start the onion cooking and then prep the other ingredients as you go, adding to the pot as you go along. The whole meal will come together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

Once the onion has become mostly translucent add the chopped celery and continue cooking until tender. Next is the Worcestershire, pepper, and potatoes. Notice you don’t add salt here.

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From dispelling myths about motherhood and revealing the postnatal pressure on parents, to sharing the sanctity of self-care, bestselling author, podcaster, and actress Giovanna Fletcher has been a comforting voice of support for years. And now she’s embarking on a new challenge, following her passions and finding herself centre stage…

Since Giovanna Fletcher launched her hit podcast, ‘Happy Mum, Happy Baby’, a wealth of celebrity guests, from the Princess of Wales to Fearne Cotton, have joined her for openhearted and fearlessly frank conversations about parenthood.

Based on her bestselling book of the same name, the podcast, which boasts more than 20 million downloads, aims, says Giovanna, to help new mums “feel better about themselves” – something made possible by her own natural warmth and openness about her experience of raising her sons Buzz, 8, Buddy, 6, and Max, 4.

And Giovanna has no plans to take a breather from podcasting, because she understands that for some women, her support could mean the difference between life and death.

“The leading cause of death in new mums within the first postnatal year is suicide,” says Giovanna. “Well, let’s have those chats, let’s get people talking so they know they’re not on their own, let’s be that hand in the dark for people when they feel like they aren’t valued and not enough, because they absolutely are enough.

“The more that we can dispel the myth that there’s a right way to do motherhood and that you can fail in it, the better.”

Speaking from her new home in Hertfordshire, against a backdrop of framed pictures including one, which reads ‘Yo Mama You’ve Got This’, Giovanna makes no secret of the fact that, at times, juggling a busy, evolving career and raising her boys with her McFly musician partner, Tom Fletcher, can feel overwhelming, but she says organisation is her key to “self-care” because it avoids her “flapping” around in the morning. Vitally, she accepts that occasional mistakes are par for the course.

“Angela Scanlon once told me that we’ve all got balls flying in the air. Some are glass, and some are plastic. We have to keep the glass balls in the air because they’re precious – that’s family – but we have to allow the plastic balls to drop every now and then,” says Giovanna.

“I’ll let the class WhatsApp slide for a week and then have an ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going on? What have I forgotten? Sorry kids!’ moment.”

Numerous studies show that in heterosexual relationships, women are responsible for the lion’s share of childcare and housework, and perform far more cognitive and emotional labour than men. Research from Arizona State University also reveals that almost 90% of mothers in committed partnerships say this responsibility leaves them feeling overwhelmed, ex