I don’t know about you, but I love Fridays. I was born on a Friday, and ever since I’ve been joking that my whole life is one big Friday: always looking forward to the weekend. And today, we decided to make Friday inspiration posts a regular feature.

Friday is undoubtedly one of, if not “the” best time of the week, especially around 3pm: whatever work is being done will be over soon, and the possibilities of the weekend lie before us, full of mystery, wonder, and occasional naps. That is, if we don’t have a huge list of things planned that need to get done.

Things that need to get done are the bane of our existence. There is always something, or someone, clamoring for our attention. It never seems to stop. And when we are so focused on getting things done, we forget to simply be.

There are a lot of strategies out there to help you take control of your life, many of them helpful. But this post is not about planning and making major life changes. It is Friday, after all, not Monday, and you deserve a breather from all the endless doing. I mean this in a literal sense, because there is one very simple thing you can do in the middle of life’s overwhelm, and that is to breathe. The simplest things are usually the most effective, and also the ones we forget about the most. This weekend, if you can’t indulge yourself in the rest you so richly deserve, find a moment to close your eyes, center, and breathe deeply, just for a couple of minutes. Breathe out stress, breathe in joy and calm. No excuses here: anyone can find a minute to breathe, we just forget to, most of the time. Adopt this simple technique and use it as often as you can. The trick is to go from doing to simply being, if only for a couple of minutes at a time, and to remember to do it as often as you need to. Do this as often as you can, and you will come to love these moments of refuge. Breathing deeply with the intent to calm, connect, and cherish yourself is the cheapest and most accessible form of self-indulgence and self-support out there. In the middle of life’s chaos, it could be that first little kernel of self-love that will grow to support you as you prepare to make bigger changes in your life.

Happy Friday everyone. Have a fantastic, joyful weekend!