By Leah Kelley
With so much going on in the world, it’s difficult to prioritize rest. It takes work to unlearn “grind culture.” Some of us even struggle to relax on vacation. Yet we know that if we don’t take time to relax, we may become tense and stressed out. According to Mental Health America, incorporating more relaxation into our schedules not only relieves stress and anxiety, it can also improve mood and provide physiological health benefits such as improving the cardiovascular and immune systems, decreasing blood pressure, and relieving pain (Mental Health America).
Intentionally creating moments of rest is an act of resistance, something we truly need in order to live a healthy life. Surely there are seasons where life may require working longer days to see through a new project or going the extra mile to support a friend in a hard time, and it’s important that we balance these with seasons of rest. When we go too hard without finding a rhythm that works for us, we risk burning out. Many of us struggle to let go of our roles and to set boundaries that allow ourselves to get the rest we need. It’s important to remember- it takes a village.
When you step back from being a PTO leader or hosting a neighborhood meet up, you’re creating a space for someone else to give back in that way. We can’t do it alone. Also, your act of prioritizing rest may give someone else the courage to slow down and integrate more rest into their weekly flow.
Rhythms are vital to so much in our world: the moving of the tides, the waxing and waning of the moon, the changing of the seasons. Whether you’ve had a summer filled with rest or you’ve been going nonstop for too long- you can commit to integrating rest into your next season.
Here are a few ideas to create restful rhythms:
- Create a list of small breaks you can take that help you feel rested. Could be a 3-minute break to practice deep breathing, or make yourself some tea, or a longer break to go for a walk, read, nap, or journal. Post the list somewhere you will see it often to remind yourself!
- Try noticing what activities are truly restorative (like time in nature or taking a bath) and which activities may seem restful, but don’t actually help you to feel more grounded (like watching a show on TV).
- Create a time once a week that is “Me Time.” Put it on your calendar with a reminder!
- Check in with yourself- If I take on this additional task, what will I be sacrificing?
- If you have children, plan a family rest time once a week or so to try different restful activities together such as yoga, meditation, or family massage train!
- Create a Lazy Day: “A lazy day is a chance for us to be without any scheduled activities. On this day we have a chance to reestablish a balance in ourselves… A lazy day is a chance to train ourselves not to be afraid of doing nothing. You might think that doing nothing is a waste of time. But that’s not true. Your time is first of all for you to be- to be alive, to be peace.” -Thich Nhat Hanh