Everybody needs to rest. It is absolutely essential for a healthy, balanced life. Yet, when you ask people if they would intentionally set aside time to rest, most will tell you they are just too darn busy. While that may be true, if you could, would you take the time to rest?
In today’s world, there is an underlying expectation that in order to succeed, you need to be on the go 24/7. We take pride in being “busy” and when we aren’t busy, we feel guilty about not doing what we think we should be doing. Even in the midst of a pandemic, we continue to live in a fast paced world and it can be so easy to get caught up in the feeling of needing to do more just to keep up.
The truth is being busy all the time eventually catches up with you. Your immune system craves rest in order to keep you going strong. Without proper rest your body doesn’t have the necessary time to recover and it will eventually start to break down. Not only do we need to rest our body, but we also need to rest our mind.
Have you ever wondered why people living in European countries are healthier and happier than we are here in the U.S.? The answer is simple…..they make rest a priority. They work less, they take more vacations AND they take naps after lunch! Unfortunately, we seem to do just the opposite.
While you may not be able to move to Europe right now, there are some things you can do to incorporate moments of rest into your day.
1. Close your eyes and do nothing. It may sound simple but the point is to just be still.
2. Connect with nature. Go outside without your phone and allow your mind to take in the quiet solitude of nature.
3. Say “no.” There are only so many hours in a day and it’s important to choose how you spend them. Sometimes it can be as simple as saying “no” and not feeling guilty about it.
I love the idea of having a whole day to rest. For the past several years, Sunday has become my rest day. It’s the one day of the week that I reserve just for me. I like to call it my day of hibernation! Once I get home from the farmers market, that’s when the hibernation begins!
Now, I would love to tell you that I spend the whole day resting, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, there are definitely moments of stillness, but they are sandwiched between writing my newsletter, doing laundry, testing recipes and watching Super Soul Sunday! Not exactly a day of rest, is it?
When I shut down my practice back in April due to Covid, I had a lot more time to write so I started sending my emails every week. Now that I am back to work, I’ve been noticing lately that I have become one of those people who says they are too busy to rest!! And when that happens, I know it’s definitely time to rest.
So, in an effort to incorporate more rest into my Sundays, I have decided to go back to sending my email every two weeks instead of every week. But don’t worry, I’m still planning on making an appearance in your inbox every week. On the weeks that I am not writing, I will be sending you a “food for thought” email. It may be a picture, a quote or I may go crazy and send you a short video one of these days! Whatever it is, it will be my way of letting you know that I am thinking of you while also enjoying some much needed rest!
Are there areas in your own life where you feel out of balance? Do you find yourself saying you are too busy to rest? If so, I want to encourage you to hit the pause button and reevaluate what is not working for you. Contrary to popular belief, we do not have to be busy every second of the day. Take the time to slow down, listen to your body and embrace rest. Although it may take some practice, I can guarantee that the more you rest, the better you will feel!
