The August bank “holiday”

The August Bank Holiday: the last days of summer. Even after the scorching heatwave we have loved/hated for the past few weeks, we still feel this compelling need to make the most of that last long weekend before the nights really start to creep in. Social media exploded with adverts for bottomless brunches, live music in local beer gardens and that indulgent sensation of not having to set your alarm on the Monday morning. And even though I was unable to attend the Rye Jazz Festival, my Facebook feed became the Festival’s personal news channel, reflecting every detail of what appeared to be a fantastic weekend of music.

But as the weekend approached, I didn’t get that same obsessive need to “live my best life” and show it off to the world. Maybe it’s because I was already on holiday having an absolute blast, so the August Bank Holiday was just a niggling reminder that eventually, I would have to go home. What I did notice was a nationwide determination to have a good time and make the three-day weekend the best it possibly could be.

My Bank Holiday plans? Well, when you get back from a two week holiday, you don’t have the time to go to the pub and bask in 20 degree heat, even if you did manage to overcome the guilt of going, after spending valuable pounds and calories on Italian wine tastings and limoncello for two weeks. My three days were spent travelling back from holiday and recovering from the most horrendous turbulence as we approached London Gatwick, battling the impending pile of washing that we had somehow managed to stuff into our one suitcase, mowing the lawn, deadheading the scorched plants, pruning the herbs and lavender, harvesting the explosion of fruit and veg that had grown in the greenhouse and just to top it all off, we decided to paint the kitchen. And nothing says “relaxing” like a frantic dash on Bank Holiday Monday to find a shop that is simultaneously open and a vendor of masking tape.

To be quite honest, I was exhausted by the end and in the small breaks between painting where I quickly glanced at my phone, everyone else seemed to be having a whale of a time eating, drinking, dancing, sleeping. I felt guilty, as if I had wasted these precious three days gifted by the end of summer on household chores and interior renovation. I looked at myself in the mirror; hair a little wild, arms covered in terracotta paint, still in pyjamas at 3pm as I couldn’t quite be bothered to get dressed that day. The online world? Glamorous summer outfits, sparkling prosecco glasses, sun-kissed skin, beach-wave hair. Why was I not doing this? Why was I wasting my final three days off work?

But then I spoke to some friends and family. One sister was trying to juggle occupying twin toddlers in the finale of the six weeks holiday, prepping them for their first day of school and herself for the new job she was starting later that week. My other sister had mountains of work to catch up on after a small break in Holland, along with the classic gardening chores that were screaming out to her in her absence. In the wake of a cost of living crisis, some of my friends were simply watching the pennies, and going out spending £50 on a few drinks was not deemed a valuable use for their money. And some of my friends were working; nothing worse when the rest of the country seems to be celebrating an extra day off.

And so it hit me; yes, social media is an incredible tool which brings so much to our lives, but it can also have an adverse effect on our wellbeing. Not everyone is out there “living their best life” and frankly, not every day needs to be like that. My days were not wasted; they were productive, organised, a good work out and the perfect foundation on which to start the rest of my week and my brand new job. If you were able to relax, socialise and enjoy the final rays of summer sun, fantastic! I admire you for prioritising yourself and your wellbeing before the fall truly hits. But if, like me, your Bank Holiday was not quite so “Instagrammy”, remember your life isn’t a social media feed. It’s real life and sometimes, the boring stuff has to take centre stage. Well done for having the discipline to focus on those jobs, when a refreshing pint at the local seems to be calling your name ever louder.

What were your Bank Holiday plans? Mundane or otherwise, comment below.

Image Credits: Daisy Thomas .