How to Organize a Personal Summer Festival at Home

In any normal year, right now we would be in the middle of a summer festival season — partying, going out, staying active, meeting friends, traveling and more.

Constant action, however, at some point does tend to be exhausting. If you’re always seeing people, when do you actually set aside a little bit of time for yourself?

Today, we suggest you do that. Let’s call it “restival” — meaning simply recovering from anything that tends to stress us out: work, thinking about the future or any other social obligations.

Restival is somewhere between a day off and a staycation. A long weekend, maybe? Just make sure to block off some time in advance and tell everyone that you wouldn’t be available. Then the restival begins!

Make Your Home Cozy and Comfortable

Before you turn to planning your good relax at home ideas, you should ensure that your home feels like a space where you feel completely at ease

Open the blinds and windows. Letting in the sunlight is one of the most mood-uplifting things you can do, and fresh air will help you not feel sluggish.

Turn on some background music. A relaxing Spotify playlist would work perfectly.

Consider incense (or oils) and candles. They can create a wonderful, spa-like, celebratory ambiance and transport your mind to a soothing place in minutes.

Buy flowers. Freshly cut, flowers actually do make us happier and virtually any space a little brighter. So do plants in general.

Treat yourself to a long and fancy bath or shower. To do this properly, you’d need a few tools. We suggest Alterna’s Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Leave-In Conditioning Milk for full hair hydration and Replenishing Moisture Leave-In Smoothing Gelée to tame frizz and style your hair with definition.

If you just want to look good without spending an hour in a bath and using a leave in conditioner, a vegan dry shampoo, such as My Hair. My Canvas. Another Day Dry Shampoo along with My Hair. My Canvas. Meltaway No-Rinse Micellar Hair Cleanser would do a great job at keeping your restival hair clean. Need more haircare product ideas? Take our quick Hair Quiz and receive your personal hair treatment plan in minutes.

Next up in self care activities, reimagine your outfits. Why stay in street clothes? You should be comfortable! That means sweats, robes and slippers are definitely in. Maybe even some silks.

When it comes to food, make sure to cook for pleasure and not out of necessity. Explore new delicious and easy summer recipes. Get your cocktail game on as well. If you’re too burnt out from cooking though, don’t feel bad about ordering takeout from local restaurants.

The last one of our self care tips for the inside of your home is to not clean your place and hire a professional cleaning service instead. Treat yourself to the effortlessly shiny home.

Add Relaxing Backyard Ideas

If you have a backyard, a patio or a balcony, your restival can be made at least 10 times more pleasant. For some of these tips, even a local park would be perfect.

Start your time off by getting a hammock. It’s the most relaxing thing in the world. You can hang it from the trees or buy one that stands on its own.

If possible, add a fire pit (real wood or gas) to your backyard. Fire makes any space instantly cozier and is lovely to just look at for hours at a time. Invite your friends and neighbours in the evening as well (if you can) — fire definitely has the power to bring people together.

Pro tip: To get the campfire smell out of your hair, try using a bit of Alterna’s My Hair. My Canvas. Meltaway No-Rinse Micellar Hair Cleanser.

In case you don’t have enough furniture to put around the fire pit, Adirondack chairs would be a perfect choice. They are cozy, inexpensive and sold at nearly any large retailer. Most importantly, they have this wonderful mountain resort vibe to them.

Dine al fresco. When it’s warm and sunny outside, why not eat the Italian way? The next level is to actually pitch a tent in your yard and spend the night outside, far away from any crowded campsites.

In general, you want to spend as much time as possible outside. Sunshine is great for you (if you use sunscreen) — it helps produce vitamin D, which is necessary for your muscles, bones and immune system. It boosts your serotonin for a more positive outlook on life. It also helps regulate your circadian rhythm. Yoga outside, anyone?

Avoid Technology

The only thing we’d strongly recommend you not to do is spend time in front of the screens: smartphones, tablets, computers, etc. Not only are they not letting you rest properly, they also affect your mood.

So spend time without news and social media. Even better, put your phone in a Do Not Disturb mode. And definitely don’t look at your phone before going to bed to prevent blue light from messing up your sleep.

Following the tips above, you’re guaranteed to recharge and reduce your stress levels. If you can’t take a few days off, even a day-long restival would help, and then maybe you can do it again next weekend? Summer is long, after all.