High five fellas, it's fri-YAY! We've made it through, the weekend is upon us. Time to do a little happy dance.
But first and foremost, time to load up our batteries. Something that can best be done by treating ourself to something nice. By which I don't neccessarily mean going on a shopping splurge or booking an expensive weekend retreat. In fact there are a lot of small and cheap ways to give ourself a little extra care. Things we can do on the daily. And today, I'm sharing 10 of my personal faves. Go ahead, read on, you're worth it!


1. Make yourself a nice cup of tea, preferably with an old-fashioned singing teakettle, instead of an electric one. (Is it me or is there just something very romantic and comforting about the whistling of a kettle? Okay, I guess it's me.)

2. Light a scented candle. I personally love the Figuier candle from Diptyque. Okay so yes, this one is actually rather expensive - maybe even overpriced - but, I haven't found the cheaper alternative that smells just as good up to date. If you have, please let me know in the comments below. My wallet will thank you.

3. Paint your toenails red. Or any other colour, but I just like red because it's a classic, and it just makes you feel tons french, and also way more elegant, non?

4. Bake a banana. I do it in a royally buttered pan with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top and I call it the minimum guilt with maximum pleasure snack of the age. If you want you can perfectly replace the butter by coconut oil, but honestly, nothing quite beats butter in my book.

5. Put on a face mask. I always like a good DIY mask or even better is stopping by at Kiehl's and scoring some free samples. My last visit there paid off the form of a Turmeric & cranberry seed energizing radiance masque sample and I have to say, I've put this one straight on my whishlist. But I don't think it really matters that much which one you put on (as long as it doesn't irritate your skin of course!). What really matters is the time you make to actively take care of yourself in that moment.

6. Write down all the fun things you did in the past few weeks/months. Take the time to relive those moments in your mind, and actively savour your memories. It will give you such a mental lift.

7.Write down all the productive/usefull things you did today. Everything from hanging up the laundry to finally making that dentist appointment, from ticking a few things off your to-do list at work to making it to the yoga mat. Realise fully that even though you might feel like you didn't do enough, or that there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do, you probably busted your ass off, and you surely did the best you could do. So sit back and relax, YOU EARNED IT, BABY!

8. Rub a thick layer of Nivea on your feet and put on comfy cotton socks. I swear your feet will feel reborn afterwards. (I apply this trick quite often myself - I have a standing job, so my feet deserve some extra love and attention on the regular!)

9. Put clean sheets on the bed. Now there's one I don't apply often enough, since way too lazy. But we all now how a fresh made bed becomes a little piece of heaven! (Enter choral singing here.)

10.  Go to bed at 9PM. I know this might sound a litte crazy to some, since sleep is just a waste of time and 'I simply can not fall asleep before I've watched another episode of Narcos' and etc. etc. BUT, imagine the possibility of the extra hours of sleep, people! Imagine the bliss, of not feeling like you want to shoot yourself when your alarm goes off in the morning! I say, just give it a shot. And if you're having some difficulties getting to bed in time in general, be sure to check out this post I wrote on 'How to master the art of going to bed on time'.

Got any ideas to add to the list? Let me know!

5 reasons to read more.

No one ever had to spell me out why reading was good for me. I have loved it for as long I can remember - or at least for as long as I have been able to, which must be for about 20 years by now. As a kid I went to the library once a week and took about 3 books home with me every time. For a long period it was my only hobby, and my only source of fiction I might add, since we didn't have television at home for years. As a grown up I still don't have television, a conscious choice of me and my beau. And though I'll admit I watch series on my laptop quite regularly, reading is still my main pastime in the evening, and it still brings me so much joy.

Maybe you're already on my team, maybe you still need some convincing (If that is even possible? You're probably just a book lover or you're not. I don't quite know if you can become one). But anyhow, you're welcome to read my 5 reasons for reading more often a.k.a. my ode to books.

1. Let's face it, life isn't all jolly-fucking-joy and happiness. We all feel sad, alone and misunderstood sometimes - okay, a lot. Finding comfort in fictional characters can be very helpful at those times. In some cases because they have to deal with the same shit, which makes you feel less alone, other times because they just make you forget your own reality all together.

2. Our time on earth is limited, we can not have or do it all. Reading gives you the opportunity to live all sorts of lives, go places you'd never go in reality or do things that aren't even possible! Like marrying a 19th century gentleman with 5000 a year and a larg estate, or flying on broomsticks and travelling back in time.

3. Books do not only give you the possibility to enjoy the writer's creativity, they also urge you to use your own imagination. The writer provides the lines of the story, but it is the reader who colours between them.

4. Reading is a perfect way to relax in the evening, certainly the last half an hour before you head to bed. Contrary to televisions, laptops or phones, books don't have a light-emtting screen wich sends signals to your brain to stay awake. I personally find even find them helpful to calm my mind and tire my eyes.

5. When a book truly catches you, time and space stop to exist. In other words, magic happens.

The therapeutic effect of making homemade pasta.

Here at #idle we usually prefer meals that require minimum effort for maximum taste (like today's pre-cooked beetroots with quinoa, crumbled feta and pecans). So making a case here for making pasta from scratch, might seem a little odd. But, just like Mary, there's something about those fresh dough-strings.
First of all, let me just emphasize the fact that pasta is simply the most comforting and consolatory type of food to be found. I'm sorry for the no-carb camp, but it just is so. Plus, it's way cheaper than a shrink or retail therapy.

Now you might think: Okay, fine, but why not just open a plastic wrapper and toss its contents in the pan?

Because, the act of making pasta, which is indeed quite an intensive and time consuming proces, has really got a medetative aspect. The kneading of the dough, the working of the rolling pin, taking your dough through the machine time and time and time again until it has just the right thickness, and finally dividing it into long elegant strings which you hang over a kitchen chair until the water is boiling. Just because it takes a while to prepare, it forces you to slow down. To be present with what you are doing - rather than just boiling store-bought spaghetti on auto-pilot.

So basically, preparing home-made pasta is doubling up your food for the soul (once in the making, and once in the eating).

Wanna share the experience? I'd recommend this recipe from The Silver Spoon (you might want to double your ingredients if you're a big eater, though). I promise your efforts will be royally rewarded, both in experience and taste, and that the simplest of tomato sauces (like a botlle of passata with some glazed onions and shredded salami topped with mozzarella) will suffice to turn this in a delicious dish.

Why giving up is A-OK.

When it comes to chasing dreams, society couldn't be any clearer: we can't nor must ever give up. In fact, life is nothing, if not reaching your #goals or checking off the next thing on your bucket list. Furthermore, we are led to believe that we can literally achieve anything, if only we try hard enough. No really, the only thing standing in your way to the top of the world is you and your pathetic little comfort zone. But is it really like that though?

Let's investigate by example. For instance, my dream is to work as an editor for a fashion magazine. Now, let's say that from now on I actively start to work on achieving that dream, that I really, really give it my best shot, that I keep on trying and that I never give up. And along with me, every single person in the whole wide world who has the same career goal, starts doing the same. How long do you think it would take until the editor-market is saturated? Not such a long time, right? And what happens to those who didn't make the cut? Exactly. They have to give up.

And even when we put aside the reality that this world/economy just doesn't have room for every single one of our dreams, there is another reality that remains. It is the cold harsh fact that sometimes, no matter how much you want it, or no matter how much you keep pushing yourself, it's just not for you. Maybe, you're just not good enough (because no matter what you want to be or do, there sure will be a lot of competition). Or maybe, it just doesn't feel right to bring the sacrifices it takes to get there (like working long days and nights, or fighting out battles with perpetual self-doubt or battling a lack of inspiration). And honestly, acknowledging that, doesn't make you a quitter or a weak link. I think it just shows a high level of self-knowledge and a lot of courage to admit that.

Oh, and here's an other idea that'll blow your mind: comfort zones are called comfort zones for a reason - because they are nice, and say well, comfortable. They consist of warm cuddles, intimate and joyfull relations with people we've known for years, walks in the winter sun, reading sessions in bed. Living in your comfort zone could actually mean that you live a happy and well-balanced life. So, maybe, it is time for all of us to stop confusing a comfort zone with a rut. And to stop confusing succes - as society defines it - with happiness. Or as Dirk De Wachter, psychiatrist and author of 'Borderline times' states: "Behind a mask of succes you'll often find loneliness and the fear to be alone, [...] feelings of emptyness and meaningless. Happiness is not to be found in kicks or succes, but in the little things - yes even, in the normality of life."

That is why I say, let us all stop trying to doing epic shit, let us all stop turning dreams into plans, and let's stop longing for something to set our soul on fire. I'm not trying to write a manifesto against dreaming here. But I am protesting the constant pressure to perform, to proove to the world that we have got it made, to proove that we are better than the bunch, that we won the gold medal at the rat race. That is why I say, let's admit that giving up or saying stop is A-OK. Let us start focussing on enjoying instead of achieving. And most of all, let us just admit that life may not be the party we hoped for, but we can still dance while we're here.

A 10-step Monday survival guide.

"Choose a job you love and you won't have to work a day in your life", is what dear old Conficius always used to say, but then again the man lived in a time and age where Netflix didn't even exist yet and couches probably weren't half as comfortable, so one can't really blame him for making such foolish statements. Fact is and always will be that no matter how much you love what you do, weekends will always be better (that is, unless you work weekends) and Mondays will always be a bitter pill to swallow. Which is exactly why you need to read my strategy to soften the blow of Monday.

1. Set the breakfast table on Sunday evening. This will give you at least 5 extra minutes to spend in bed (and believe me, on Mondy morning those can really make a difference). Already prepare your lunch for the next day (if you take one with you to work, that is) and you gain an extra 5!

2. Put on Bach's cello suite no. 1 while getting ready for work. This might not work for everyone, but is sure does get me in the zen zone.

3. Bring a good book with you to read during lunch break. That half an hour of escapism will proove very beneficial for your mental health. It might even stop you from wanting to kill off co-workers or clients, though I can't make any promises.

4. Make sure you have a freezer stocked with homemade soup (made in the weekend when you've got time on you hands, of course), you'll thank yourself for it on Monday evening, when you are honestly too washed-out to even think of preparing a meal. A cup of hot soup with a royally buttered piece of bread will be all the comfort you need. My beau and I eat this every Monday and it is a habit we wouldn't even dream of getting rid of.

5. Finished your meal and even managed to toss your plate in the dishwasher? Congratulations! Now it's time to wash off all the residual Monday stress: take a hot shower or bath, scrub, put on a facemask and finish with royally applied body lotion.

6. Put on your comfy pants and do something for you: a 20 min yoga bedtime routine is definitely what I would recommend.

7. Make yourself a cup of tea. Chammomile tea is supposed to help you relax and get a good night's sleep, so I say all hail for that!

8. Eat a cookie. You made it through Monday, you deserve this!

9. Nestle yourself on the couch with your cup of tea and your cookie and give some cuddles to your cat (in case of absence of a cat, a boyfriend, girlfriend or dog will do just fine, but then of course you do have to miss out on that meditative sound of purring). According to research by Carnegie Mellon University cuddling helps to reduce stress, so it's the perfect ending to your day.

10. Make it an early night. Making it through Monday is one thing, but getting through the rest of the week is another. And getting enough sleep will surely give you a head start.

So far my Monday survival guide. If you have any additional tips or tricks to make it through that horrid first day of the week, please spill'em in the comment section!