A week passed without leaving a living trace of ever having stayed. Life’s turbulence carries us on, with or without people even noticing. For the past weeks, I think I’ve grown a little bit of mental fatigue so I decided to try some mental reset.

Trying a Friday Mental Reset

First of all, ever since I decided to take Friday afternoons off, like two weeks ago, last Friday I actually did it. I rescheduled some business issues to the new week. I don’t know if I feel too different or if it changed much in my overall life, but I can feel that we are just so wired to the five-day workweek routine. Your body and mind can’t really relax like they do on weekends, because they’re still carrying business-related signals.

When you know everyone is off, you can feel more relaxed and laid-back. But on a weekday off, you feel like you’re cheating somehow. People can feel guilty about resting while everyone else looks busy.

On Busyness, Reading, and Mental Reset

Recently I’m reading a psychology book called On the Tranquility of Mind by the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca. According to his theory, people keep themselves busy to avoid deeper and more important thinking about life.

What am I doing with all this time if I take Friday afternoons off, you may ask? Yeah, maybe I could just sleep all afternoon, but I don’t really need that much sleep—I get enough every day.

So first of all, I read. And I did that. It felt great. Reading all afternoon, with all the books on my shelf to choose from according to my mood. But reading too long can easily lead to mental fatigue. That’s exactly when you need to get outside and meet some real people.

A Boring Dinner and Social Energy

So I decided to go to a Friday evening dinner with some friends I haven’t seen for so long. But when dinner started, all they talked about was gossip and news I wasn’t interested in.

For the first half hour, I focused on my food. But for the rest of the hour, I was so bored. That dinner dragged on. All I was thinking was how I could get back to my cozy bed with my books, amusing my mind, instead of listening to all this bullshit I didn’t care about.

People can be very complicated. But getting to know yourself better is what makes life amusing, right? I mean, I chose to go out and hang out with those people, but I did feel bored by the end. I mean—come on—we don’t need two hours for a dinner. That’s such a waste of time.

Running Through Weather and Doubt

And all of a sudden, the weather turned cool after being extremely hot. When the rain comes, it’s harder to go outside and hit my miles goal for the year. But I did my 7KM, 8KM, and even an 8KM trail run on the weekend.

Running is my plan, and I like that I’m working on it with consistency. Ever since I started working out at home, I secretly doubted whether I’m making any real progress—because I don’t feel that sore after training. But I guess people need to trust their own choices. I made a workout plan for myself, and I just need to follow it through. Change doesn’t happen overnight. No complaints on the “miles” pillar of my life.

On Work, Solitude, and Trusting Yourself

Work was just okay. So I had more time for my own projects, whether it’s generating content or trying to optimize my e-commerce website. All of it gave me a sense of achievement.

Yeah, there are a lot of moments where I feel alone in this battle. But I know I’ll get there someday, and I’ll be proud of myself for it. Sometimes I wish I had a partner to talk to and be open with. But even best friends can be very different from what I want or need. People don’t always have shared interests or anything to really talk about.

So gradually, I quieted myself down a bit. I used to want to argue or make myself known and understood. But one day you wake up and realize—those who are too different from you will never truly understand you. So maybe you’re better off on your own. And there’s no need to be afraid of only having yourself to rely on.

I think your “self” is the best comrade of all. You should always trust yourself and enjoy the process of growing.

Take Your Own Mental Reset

If you’re struggling with life or feeling down, don’t panic. Rest. Enjoy some peace of mind. Maybe try taking a Friday mental reset too, and go do something you truly enjoy. For me, it’s reading. That’s exactly what I want to do.

Hope you have a good week ahead. See you next week.