Woman Wonders If It's A Bad Sign That She Has To Spend Her Entire Weekend Sleeping & Watching Netflix Alone To Feel Normal During The Week
She wondered if it's normal to want to be alone when she's not working.
esteelalonde_ / TikTok A woman has questioned whether or not she's the only person who chooses to spend her weekends alone to prepare for the upcoming work week. In a TikTok video, Estée Lalonde explained that she would rather decompress after a long week by herself instead of having a social life and spending time with other people.
She chooses to spend her weekends sleeping and watching Netflix so she can feel 'normal' during the week.
"In order for me to feel somewhat semi-normal during the week I have to take the entire weekend, that's Friday night as well, and Saturday and Sunday, pretty much in complete solitude," Lalonde began in her video.
She claimed that for her to feel rested and ready to tackle another work week, she refuses to have a social life and go out with her friends. Instead, Lalonde says she chooses to go grocery shopping, walk her dog, get some flowers, sleep, watch Netflix, and attend different exercise classes, including going to yoga, all by herself as a form of self-care.
"If I don't do that, I can't function in the week," she continued. "Is that a bad sign?"
In the comments, many people were quick to agree with Lalonde's choice and shared that they too find it better to spend the weekends and any free time off of work by themselves as a way to unwind and check in with themselves.
"Feeling the same. Need a minimum [of] a whole day of nothing," one user wrote. Another user added, "It's not a bad thing, resting and doing things that bring you peace are what the weekend is for."
"Interacting with people, even the ones I’ve known for years is typically exhausting. I love being by myself," a third user shared. "It’s really hard to enjoy time out when the week is SO demanding. But then it’s important to make time for family/people you love. Always a battle."
It's important that people are making time to care for their well-being to balance out the hours spent working during the week.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average number of hours worked per week for an American working-class individual is around 34.6. The estimate is consistent with the national standard of 40 hours per week for full-time employees.
As Lalonde explained in her video, working continuously can have a real strain and eventually lead to feeling burnt out and stressed, which is why it's important to practice different self-care activities. Whether that's spending time alone, as Lalonde does, or choosing to hang out with friends and be social, there is no right way to go about decompressing.
In a country where living to work is often glamorized along with the trend of being a "girl boss" and the entire concept of hustle culture, it's vital that we don't let work consume every crevice of our lives. It's why there have been many Americans who claim that having a four-day workweek would be incredibly beneficial to the overall productivity of working-class people.
According to a survey, via Newsweek, 71% of Americans support the concept of a four-day workweek. This excessive demand to constantly be working can have severe consequences on the average person, and this skewed perception of prioritizing working over the importance of taking care of our mental and physical well-being is not a sustainable way to live.
Whether someone chooses to spend their time off from work by themselves or engage in social interactions to recharge, the key is to find a balanced approach that works for you, especially in a world where the pressure to work is always prevalent.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.