Whether you’ll be sleeping in or hard at work, Labor Day Weekend is a great way to reset your mind and body in time for the fall season.

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The first full weekend of September is meant to celebrate the fair treatment of workers and their tireless efforts to keep the world spinning.

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For others, however, Labor Day Weekend is a more than welcome three-day weekend to spend however you want. The thing about three-day weekends, though, is they fly by much too quickly, and before you know it it’s Monday night.

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These mini-vacations only happen every so often, so make the most out of your time that’s true and worthwhile for you. Here are 6 ways to do it.

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1. Go Camping or Hiking

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With the weather finally cooling down, Labor Day Weekend is the perfect time to venture out into the great outdoors.

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Camping provides a much-needed respite from everyday life, especially if you’re working a desk job. Your body and mind will both thank you for filling them with things other than a bright screen or a newly-refreshed news feed.

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The benefits of camping are well-documented. Spending time in nature can improve your mental health, reduce depression, stress, and anxiety, and improve your general mood and happiness.

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Studies have also found that going to bed according to the natural rise/fall of the sun can reset your internal alarm clock. In short, just sleeping in nature can change your sleep habits.

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Check out our “5 Essentials for a Camper” blog for ways to safely and mindfully plunge into the unknown.

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2. Get Together with Family and Friends

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Sometimes the best way to spend a long weekend is to simply be with others. People find just about any excuse to light up their grills, and Labor Day makes a lot more sense than National Pharmacy Tech Day.

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It never hurts to reconnect with old friends or have a small family get-together. It beats brooding out of your apartment window.

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What’s more, Labor Day Weekend provides one of the very last three-day weekends of the year before an increasingly busy and hectic fall and winter.

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It’ll likely be way harder to link up with old chums during the holiday season, so might as well hang out now while the grass is still green.

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3. Go Last-Minute School Shopping

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A three-day weekend doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be putting your feet in Cabo — especially if you’re a parent.

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Labor Day Weekend is the perfect time for parents to do any late back-to-school shopping and get supplies that initially fell by the wayside.

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While other shoppers are worrying about two-liter sodas and charcoal for their grills — not to mention camping equipment — the school supplies aisle will be yours for the taking.

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Buy an extra mini-hand sanitizer bottle, the bendy ruler that your child won’t easily break, and other school supply essentials.

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For more on starting the school year right (better late than never), check out our “4 Tips for Parents to Start the School Year” blog.

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4. On the Road Again

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Forget forests, family grills, or 64-assorted crayon sets — sometimes the best antidote for a clogged mind is going on the road with no clear destination.

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This is by no means encouraging you to be a nomad, but going on a mini-road trip can clear your mind differently than exploring the frontier of Mother Nature.

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Going on a road trip will put some literal distance between you and the malaise of everyday life, showing you fresh sights and clearing your mind of excess clutter.

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Taking a trip can also lend perspective to certain anxieties you may have, reassuring you that certain problems aren’t as pressing as you think they are.

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Not to mention the aesthetic side of road trips. You can go off the beaten path and explore the world around you in a unique way. You might come across undiscovered terrain and become immersed in places you hadn’t thought of two days before.

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Plan your route to a national park, a true showcase of nature and its splendor. National parks are truly underrated tourist destinations that offer more worthwhile experiences than some theme park or 90-second roller coaster.

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Go as far as the road takes you, just give yourself enough time to drive back home for the Tuesday shift.

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5. Try Out a Hobby

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Friends flake and gas tanks run low, but hobbies will never desert you. Sometimes the best way to spend your leisure time is to do what you love, as long as it’s a healthy and constructive way to spend time.

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Go to a local basketball and shoot some hoops, go for a jog around the neighborhood trail, or dust off that guitar and take online lessons like you said you’d do.

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Finish that painting or even take up knitting, so long as you’re doing what you truly enjoy. As long as you’re true to yourself, there’s no wrong way to spend this Labor Day Weekend.

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6. Do Nothing

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Who ever said a quiet moment has to be dull?

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Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all. It’s much too easy to have your head spinning after a long day’s/week’s work. You might feel pressured to take this Labor Day Weekend by the horns and fill it with every one of these activities, giving yourself little time to even breathe.

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And it’s breathing, the one activity that we do without much thought, that can lead us to true relaxation. Put the phone down, stop mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds, and let yourself simply do nothing.

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Doing nothing is akin to mindfulness, offering all sorts of benefits. It’ll make you more restful and less overstimulated from the digital noise of the internet. Your brain can finally run below 100mph and be able to process certain events and feelings in a healthy way.

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Discover even more wonders of mindfulness in our 3 Science-Backed Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation blog.

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Conclusion

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A three-day weekend is truly something to behold.

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Take the time to link up with those old friends, go for a morning jog, take up a meditation habit, or start a drive towards a faraway destination.

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You can even do nothing. Do whatever is right for you to make this coming Labor Day Weekend truly worthwhile so the craziness of the holiday season feels like a cakewalk.

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