Why rest should be a daily practice and not a reward
And what rest may look like.
I have been a multitasker for as long as I can remember. Every day, I have an urge to swiftly move from one task to another just so I can finish the day with an all-checked to-do list. It gives me satisfaction; satisfaction that I am not losing my edge, and that I am still productive. But I wonder if this little blip of happiness is worth the burnout that follows.
Growing up, I always shunned the idea of rest. For me, rest was a reward you would get when you proved yourself productive. Rest as a practice felt so far away to me, so much so that it eventually became my end goal. I became helpless to the point where I physically couldn’t get myself to pause daily. It took me a long season of burnout and unbearable body aches on many occasions to finally realise that rest isn’t a luxury. It should be a daily practice. Rest isn’t, and shouldn’t be, an uninvited guest in your life. Inviting rest into your life is the highest form of self-love. It is a way of acknowledging our bodies for all they go through in the outside world and giving them space to simply be so that they can face the next day with peace.
Very recently, I was using my phone while it was charging and noticed how it heated up after a point. It made me wonder how humans also never stop consuming, even when they are charging. So what seems like ‘time off’ to our brain is really us filling it with more information by doomscrolling on our phones, causing our brains to overheat, not relax. For me, the idea of rest is simple - it is something that does not consume me but fulfils me. Something that brings me back to the present moment, the only moment I should be in at any time. The practices that count as rest may look different for everyone. Here are some that you can follow (or maybe following), which I think portray the feeling of rest very well in my life:
Walking barefoot on grass. Cathartic!
Learning to play the keyboard for 15 minutes at the end of my day. I have never truly felt the healing power of music in any season of my life as much as I have felt it in this season. Wrapping up your days feeling at peace is truly the best gift you can give yourself.
Not compromising on your sleep. I have come to realise that I automatically don’t compromise on my sleep when I stop losing it over worries of what the next day might bring.
Sticking to a slow and rejuvenating night routine. For me, it involves a scented candle, some relaxing background music, green tea and sometimes a book.
Saying no to plans you know will drain you. You are not selfish for putting yourself and your peace above social validation.
Activities that do not require your brain to make instant decisions can also count as rest. These include gardening, knitting, yoga, or even watching a light-hearted or familiar tv-show or movie.
Stepping away from social media. You don’t need to know what two hundred of your acquaintances are up to in their lives every second. Instead, spend that time with yourself.
Some wonderful advice from in her newsletter from February of this year,
“We all go through times where life feels like it is running away with us- too many appointments, work is demanding, and we have a never ending ‘to do’ list with too many tasks to juggle. Our self-care routine drops off, as well as ambitions, goals and hobbies - we struggle to balance everything, and before you know it – you are just ‘getting through the days’. We feel worn out, exhausted and unmotivated. This is when your mind, body and soul is in desperate need of some attention, and a slow reset day can give you just what you need.”
Before you go,
I encourage you to slow down and truly think about what rest means to you in your life. How it should feel in your day to day. Then, make it a part of your daily routine. You deserve it more than you think you do!
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So much of this resonated with me - it’s definitely a journey 🙏✨
This is all so wise, I will come back to this post again and again. Thank you for putting it together and sharing it with us. It is crazy how we fight rest, and time to restore and relax.