Everyone’s idea of rest may be different. Making time for leisurely pursuits like watching the sunrise can make you feel relaxed and reduce stress. You give your mind and emotions a break from stimuli when you rest. While you can relax your body while you sleep, resting encompasses your entire being. When you are awake, it enables you to take a break and let your mind drift off.

Not always does rest come naturally. You might occasionally catch yourself creating obstacles that keep you from getting the rest you require. Your drive to succeed can prevent you from taking pauses and resting. In these circumstances, you might think that stopping—even momentarily to take a break—is the same as giving up. Or perhaps you think that resting equals being lazy.  You can choose to put off taking a break until you are utterly worn out and unable to go on, which brings about burnout.

Sleeping is not the same as resting. Sleeping through the night cannot take the place of resting during the day. Rest to me is ceasing to labor, worry, and be instead of doing. The mind-body system must be in a restful condition and you must be present for the experience of resting to relax. This is a relaxed awareness state. In other words, when the body is still, but the mind is ruminating, that is not rest.

Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have. ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Why You Don’t Relax

You might not genuinely grasp what healthy rest is, despite how strange it may sound. Even though you may be lying down or sitting, scrolling through social media, playing games, or doing other things on your phone might be very tiring. Your brain works swiftly to process all the sensory information that you are taking in. You can start comparing yourself to others when scrolling through social media, or you might feel bad about what you read, such as wrath, jealousy, or envy. A non-restful condition may result from these factors.

Self-defeating actions and attitudes aimed at obtaining seemingly impossible objectives are referred to as perfectionism. While having goals might help you succeed, it’s possible to develop perfectionist attitudes and habits without even recognizing them. Although you might not be aware of it, sometimes you are desperately trying to be perfect by doing, accomplishing, and achieving everything you set your mind to this could interfere with your capacity to rest because of a strong concern that your life will spiral out of control if you take a break.

You could feel uncomfortable when you’re resting. When you are taking a break, you could get bored.  Additionally, beneath your boredom, you might find more challenging emotions like loneliness, rage, or a sense of being trapped.

Burnout is more of an issue of poor energy management and low clarity than of over-giving. ~ Brendon Burchard

Benefits of Resting

Although it may seem simple to learn how to rest, there’s more to it than you might realize. You’re attempting to calm down, clear your head, and be in the present. It’s simple to feel compelled to take action when there are so many distractions and things to keep you occupied. However, one cannot deny the advantages of taking a break.

Your mind requires rest, just like your body does. Most of your new knowledge is permanently ingrained into your brain during deep sleep; without it, you cannot fortify the neuronal connections required for the creation of long-term memories. There’s a reason you experience “aha” moments when running or in the shower. Your brain requires time to allow fresh connections to develop.

Your ability to make better decisions in life is aided by getting enough rest. You can be more effective, motivated, and creative at work and at home by deciding more easily and with greater confidence.

Additional advantages of rest for both your physical and mental well-being include improving your ability to deal with change. It lowers the blood pressure and reduces anxiety. Rest enhances your mood and helps heal muscle damage and wounds. Besides these advantages, developing the ability to rest is a skill that will enhance your well-being in the long run. It will show the value of taking care of your body and mind as well as how valuable downtime is. It’s a fantastic way to practice self-compassion.

Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges. ~ Bryant McGill

What Does Resting Look Like

Many studies on job recovery have been undertaken by psychologist Sabine Sonnentag, who contends that four key factors—relaxation, control, mastery experiences, and mental detachment from work—contribute to rest and recovery. Based on your career, interests, and skills, each of these will be highly customized. Asking yourself the following questions will help you determine what rest means to you.

1. Is it relaxing? The purpose of rest is to return re-energized, renewed, and prepared to resume life. Naturally, it ought to be calming. Relaxation doesn’t have to be completely passive; rather, it merely needs to be effortless and not need any willpower. It’s crucial to keep in mind that what one person finds soothing may feel like torment to another.

2. Do you feel in control of the situation? It must be something you wish to do for an activity to qualify as rest. If you aim to return to feeling rejuvenated, doing something that others want you to do won’t be beneficial. Feeling in charge entails having the ability to choose how to allocate your time, effort, and attention. Again, each person is very different, so what one person may find soothing may find tiresome. Only you can notice your energy levels and decide how much restorative sleep you need.

3. Do you feel a sense of mastery? The activities that you feel at least a modicum of partial mastery over will be the most restful. The difficulty level shouldn’t be so high that it’s excruciating, even though they can still present some challenges. Consider the difficulty of a crossword puzzle rather than trying to pick up a new talent. Finding out how you feel following your chosen exercise is a quick test. Do you feel energized or frustrated after participating in the activity? You know you went beyond your present level of mastery if you’re frustrated. The mastery activities that feel most like play are frequently the most relaxing.

4. Do you mentally detach? Complete disengagement from your normal responsibilities is further essential to make the most of your time spent resting. Most people interpret this to mean turning off your phone, including social media and text messages. Of course, in today’s constantly connected culture, this becomes more and more difficult. Setting limits can be challenging, especially when other people don’t. But challenging does not equate to impossible.

Resting is about stopping for a significant period of time during the day and to completely unwind. ~ Ben Bergeron

Ways To Rest

Besides taking naps, there are many more ways to relax. A wonderful idea to add fresh activities to your daily routine is to learn about the many sorts of relaxation. Explore sensory rest, social rest, or even creative rest using this method. This aids in overcoming both physical and mental weariness while recharging your body for the following day.

But when you begin to practice more restful techniques, keep in mind to establish limits by setting personal boundaries. Let others know you value your downtime and that other things can wait, or that it’s acceptable to decline more demanding activities in favor of relaxing ones. If you want to rest, just make sure you give it your complete attention.

You need to stop doing whatever it is you’re doing to get some mental or emotional relaxation. According to several studies, taking breaks at work increases safety, employee well-being, and productivity. In other words, taking a break from work may help you perform better.

These breaks are crucial for your health and could boost your productivity. To allow your mind to shut down or cease trying to digest information is to engage in mental rest. Here are some suggestions for clearing your mind.

1. Practice meditation

You can fit meditation into your morning or evening routine, or really, any time of the day. You can either meditate by yourself or with other people. Examine many meditation techniques, such as mantra, movement, and spiritual ones. It helps you maintain mental clarity and raises awareness of physical sensations.

2. Perform slow-motion workouts

Exercise doesn’t have to be extremely intense for you to feel weary. You can still be active while slowing down your body by practicing yoga, pilates, or tai chi. They emphasize using deliberate motion and relaxation. They also work without putting stress on your muscles. If you feel like your muscles are getting sore, look into more introductory sessions and move at your own pace. You could also find nice YouTube workouts for beginners that you can do at home.

3. Maintain good hygiene

Your body longs to feel renewed and revitalized after a demanding day. Your body will feel better after bathing, showering, using a face mask, or engaging in other self-care activities. It’s also a self-care practice that many people find soothing. If you want to incorporate some aromatherapy into your cleaning session, try lighting some candles or using a bath balm. Even cleaning your teeth could make you feel fresher and more at ease when you’re under pressure.

4. Have a morning ritual

Is there a daily activity that you engage in that gives you a sense of comfort? Making a cup of tea, watching the sun rise outside, or having a lovely meal might all qualify. Play a calming soundtrack while performing your ritual to set the mood. You can think freely about other things when you are at ease with what you’re doing. You have the chance to think about or admire something. It’s time to create a daily ritual if you don’t already have one.

5. Commit time to play

Your activity may provide you with a feeling of direction and amusement. It doesn’t need to be very energy intensive. It could be something you enjoy doing but don’t need a lot of energy or mental processing power, like knitting, fishing, or painting. You could spread this relaxing habit to someone else, enhancing your connections. It’s also enjoyable.

6. Write in your journal.

Writing is not at all an art that requires great expertise. It’s a tool to check in with yourself. Your journal may be physical or it may also be an electronic notepad. You might engage in it every day or every other day. Set aside time each day to write in your journal. That could happen in the morning or right before you go to sleep at night. Write your smiles, concerns, or thoughts for the day. Additionally, you can do this anywhere. Try journaling outside or in an area that makes you feel tranquil.

Real rest feels like every cell is thanking you for taking care of you. It’s calm, not full of checklists and chores. It’s simple: not multitasking; not fixing broken things. ~ Jennifer Williamson

Moving Forward Relaxing

You might discover that you no longer know how to rest well. Or you might not receive the rest you need because of stress, continual stimulation, and negative thoughts and sensations. You can attempt to rediscover how to unwind or a variety of different methods of relaxation, so if one doesn’t work, you can try another.

The world cannot give you rest; instead, you must fight the urge to be busy by doing, instead carve out time for being, treat it seriously, and guard it against an environment that wants to take it from you. In other words, you must intentionally practice resting more if you want to reap the rewards of a healthy balance between work and play, such as enhanced drive and creativity, greater well-being, and longer life.

Resting and relaxing is a gift you cannot refuse! The tranquil grace and sobering peace. Listen quietly, as the beauty is released. ~ Betty R. James

Do you need help to recognize what rest looks like for you? Are you looking for support in empowering yourself to implement some self-care practices? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? Consider contacting me about my coaching services at TerriKozlowski.com. Together, we can create an action plan for you to learn to relax.

To hear about how I learned to relax in my life, you can do so by reading my book, Raven Transcending Fear, available on Amazon, or by visiting RavenTranscendingFear.com.

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Summary

Article Name

Resting Is A Simple Tool In Living A Relaxed Life

Description

Are you sure you know what resting looks like? In this connected society, the ability to disengage and rest is more difficult than you realize.

Author

Terri Kozlowski

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Kozmic Soul Solutions LLC

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