How to rest in every area of your life (and why you need it)
Social media has proven to provide a variety of impacts on your physical and mental health. Here's what happens when you spend too much time on screens:
- Increased feelings of anxiety, irritability, and uncertainty
- Painful eye strain that can damage overall eye health
- Problems concentrating and focusing on specific tasks
- Persistent headaches that zap energy
- Neck and lower back pain that impacts mobility
It's difficult to break habits you've practiced for so long. At MindReady, our coaches will help you steer clear of old patterns that don't help your body rest, like using screens, and guide you toward new, relaxing strategies.
How to rest: Best practices
You have plenty of ways to rest besides napping. Learning about all the different types of rest is a fun way of incorporating new activities into your daily routine. It's a way to explore sensory rest, social rest, or even creative rest. This helps you beat physical and mental exhaustion and energize your body for the next day.
But as you start practicing more resting ways, remember to set boundaries. Let others know that your rest time is a priority for you, and other things can wait, or that it's OK to say no to more strenuous activities and choose restful ones. However, if you decide to rest, make sure that it's something you dedicate your time to.
Here are six ways to practice rest:
1. Take part in meditation
Meditation is something that fits in your morning or night routine, or anywhere in your day, really. You might choose to meditate alone or with others. Explore different types of meditation, like a mantra, movement, or spiritual meditation. It's a way of spreading calm throughout your mind and being aware of how your body feels.
2. Practice slow-moving exercises
Not all exercises have to have high intensity and make you feel exhausted. Yoga, pilates, and tai chi allow you to slow your body down but remain active. They focus on being purposeful with your movements and relaxing. Plus, they do without straining your muscles.
If you feel you’re straining your muscles, check out more beginner classes and go at your own pace. You might also find good YouTube videos with beginner workouts to follow along with from home.
3. Take care of your hygiene
After an intense day, your body wants to feel rejuvenated and refreshed. Soaking in a bath, taking a shower, doing a face mask, or other forms of self-maintenance will help your body feel fresh again. It's also a form of self-care that many people find comfort in.
Try throwing on some candles or using a bath balm to infuse some aromatherapy into your cleaning moment. In the heat of the moment, even brushing your teeth might help you feel cleaner and calmer.
4. Do your daily ritual
Is there something that you do during the day that makes you feel at ease? It could be making a cup of tea, sitting outside at sunset, or enjoying a nice dinner. As you do your ritual, feel free to throw on a relaxing playlist to set the mood.
Being comfortable with what you're doing allows you to think freely about other things. It's your chance to reflect or admire something. If you don’t have a solid daily ritual, it’s time to build one.
5. Dedicate time to a hobby
Your hobby could give you a sense of purpose and make you feel rested. It doesn't have to require a lot of energy. It could be fishing, knitting, or painting — something that you enjoy but that doesn't demand too much energy or brain power. You might share this restful practice with someone else, which helps strengthen your relationships. Plus, it's fun.
6. Catch up with your journal
Journalling doesn't require amazing writing skills at all. Your journal might be a physical notebook, or it could be a virtual note pad too. It could be something you do each day or every other day.
Dedicate a certain amount of time each day to your journal. That might be in the morning or at night before you go to bed. Write your laughs, worries, or ideas from the day. Plus, you're able to do this anywhere. Try journaling in the fresh air or in a space that feels peaceful to you.
For the future: What are the benefits of resting?
Learning how to rest your mind and body may seem easy, but there's more to it than you think. You're trying to slow down, clear your mind, and be in the present moment. With so many distractions and things keeping you busy, it's easy to feel pulled toward action. But the benefits of rest can’t be ignored.
Rest helps you fight off decision fatigue, which will help you make better decisions in life. Making decisions easier and with more confidence allows you to be more productive, motivated, and creative at work and home.
Here's a quick list of other benefits that rest brings your physical and mental health:
- Helps you cope with change better
- Decreases your blood pressure
- Relieves stress and anxiety
- Improves your overall mood
- Helps repair muscle tissues and injuries
Besides those benefits, learning how to rest is a skill that your well-being will cherish in the future. It'll show you the importance of caring for your mind and body and how our resting time is priceless. It’s also a great form of self-compassion.
Find someone who'll provide the guidance you need as you make smart moves that'll help your health in the future. Through a relationship with a MindReady coach, you'll learn how to prioritize rest in your daily routine and enjoy its benefits for years to come.
