Why not make the most of the extra hour this Sunday, and spend a relaxing day at home? Here are my tips for the perfect Duvet Day.
Duvet day, pyjama day, whatever you call it, there’s nothing quite like spending a day doing nothing but relaxing. Especially in the autumn and winter when the days are short and the weather is cold. It’s good for your body to have chance to recuperate, and it’s good for the soul as well.
But duvet days have become a rare luxury since I had children, and then we added Charlie to the family and things got even busier. But sometimes you just have to clear down your schedule and make some time for relaxation! So when Slumberdown offered to send me a load of duvet day goodies in return for sharing my tips on the subject, that was an invitation I was not going to turn down!
And of course this weekend is the perfect time for a duvet day, because the clocks go back one hour on Sunday. So I have told all of my family that they can do without me on Sunday, I’ll be taking some me-time. Here are my tips for your best ever duvet day:
Location Location Location
I prefer to stay in bed for a duvet day, because there’s more room to stretch out. I can pile up all of the pillows behind me, and my bedside table is perfect to hold my drinks and snacks.
If you haven’t got a TV in your bedroom, you might want to head down to the living room. Take your duvet and favourite pillows with you, and you can build your own little nest on the sofa
The Perfect Duvet
It goes without saying that a good duvet is vital if you’re going to have the perfect duvet day. You need your duvet to be soft, snuggly and warm.
And you can’t beat the feeling of fresh bed linen for the absolutely perfect duvet day.
Picking the Right Outfit
Next on my list of duvet day essentials is choosing the right comfy clothing to relax in. On a duvet day, I like to get up and shower in the morning, and then put on my favourite pair of PJs. A cosy pair of socks is often a good addition to your outfit as well.
The main thing is to feel relaxed and unrestricted by your clothing – you have some serious relaxing to do!
Add a little Hygge to your Duvet Day
You’ve probably been seeing the word hygge all over the place at the moment. I’m definitely a big fan of the Danish concept, which roughly translates to ‘cosiness’. Your duvet day is already looking pretty hyggelig, because you’re wearing cosy clothes and have your lovely snuggly duvet. Lighting a few candles around your room will add extra hygge to your duvet day. But make sure only one of them is scented, or the result could be more headache than hygge.
Entertainment
Because I work from home, there’s a real temptation to spend a duvet day working on my laptop in bed. But that kind of defeats the object of a duvet day, doesn’t it?
So I always try to make sure I’ve got plenty of entertainment to hand. A good book (nothing too highbrow!), a TV series to binge-watch on Netflix, a couple of DVDs, or a pile of magazines to leaf through. At this time of year, I’ve usually got a few Christmas mags to look through as well. Planning Christmas food is always a nice way to relax.
Snacks
And while I’m hard at work relaxing, I’ll need a ready supply of snacks to keep my energy levels up. Now is not the time for kale chips or hummus. I want popcorn and crisps, biscuits and chocolate, not forgetting plenty of mugs of hot coffee as well.
A Bit of Pampering
If I’m spending a day relaxing, it’s a really good opportunity for a little bit of pampering. I don’t do anything too involved like manicures or pedicures. They require too much concentration and I’d probably spill nail polish on my duvet.
But I do like to take the time to use a face mask, as they make me relax even more. My current favourites are the Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal for exfoliation or the Garnier Moisture Bomb tissue mask for moisturising.