AUGUST You deserve a break today!
“We humans have lot the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Well the month is over and hopefully you were able to get some rest and relaxation this summer.
Rest is any behavior aimed at increasing physical or mental well-being. It’s critical to manage the caustic effects of long term stress. the best way to prioritize rest is to find small ways to incorporate rest into your daily routine. Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith has described 7 types of rest. In order to get the rest you need think about which of these types of rest is being strained the most day to day. Reflect where you’re pouring out the most energy and actively add rest in that area.
7 types of rest:
Mental rest - giving you brain a break
Sensory rest - unplug and reduce external stimuli
Creative rest - do something you find inspiring like being in nature and take a break from having to think of new ideas or ways of doing things
Emotional rest - let yourself process your own emotions. Be authentic and share with others how you are really doing. Take a break from having to give empathy and support to others
Social rest - taking a break from being around other people that exhaust you and make time to be with the people who revive you
Spiritual rest - connecting with something beyond the physical and mental (can be religious but does not have to be)
Physical rest - sleeping, allow your body to slow down
THE CHALLENGE
Reflect on your average day. Figure out where you’re pouring out the most energy. Add a 10-15 min rest break in the category where you have the biggest rest deficit.
Want to hear a bit more from people who have learned to slow down in order to speed up? Check out these 2 TED talks. As a teaser the second has the coolest shark encounter I’ve ever seen!
