Take a break!
Yes, take a break.
Right after you finish reading this blog post, of course.
I want you to be able to work smarter, and not harder, and that means you need this secret in your life.
It’s rest.
Which means simply: a refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor. Could also mean: freedom from anything that wearies , troubles, or disturbs.
In my opinion, the vast majority of Americans do not get enough rest. We take work with us on vacations, we multi-task like we’ll win a medal for it, and high levels of stress have become the regular mode of operation for the majority.
Rest is so 1950. For real, it honestly seems like it’s a thing of the past.
It doesn’t have to be, though, and if you are interested in showing up as the best Mom for your kids, you have to figure this piece out. If you’re saying to yourself, “I don’t have time for that,” then it’s you who I’m speaking to the loudest. And I know it sounds counterintuitive to carve out time to rest so that you can achieve more, but it isn’t.
Consider these 3 ways for building more rest into your routine:
1) Be Aware of what brings YOU rest.
This is a big one! So many seek rest in ways that aren’t actually restful, only because they see other people doing them. It will serve you a great deal to have a list on-hand of at least 10 things that bring you rest. Here are a few things to consider: sitting on your front porch for 10-15 minutes, taking a power nap, going on a brisk walk, reading inspirational material, meditating, talking with a friend, or taking a hot bath. The point of this is to know what brings you rest. Listening to your body and giving it what it needs is a fantastic first step in establishing a priority for rest in your life.
2) Take it in Small Amounts.
Rest doesn’t have to be a day at the spa or weekend away with your husband. Learn to catch some downtime to just breathe or take a few minutes to meditate in small amounts. This way you can sprinkle rest throughout your day and you’re not dragging yourself dog-tired all the way to the last second of the day. Now that you’ve discovered rest can come in small doses, take the next step and put it in your calendar. Yep! I mean it. Schedule your rest into the day. This is likely the biggest reason people don’t rest enough—they don’t care enough to put it in their calendar. Don’t be that guy. 😉 Schedule it and commit to it!
3) Know the Difference Between Rest and Distraction.
I’m sure you’ve been there. You pull into your driveway and aren’t ready to go inside and face your kids. It’s been a long day and you’re exhausted. So you end up scrolling on your phone for the next 15 or so minutes doing nothing productive. You neither feel rested or ready to go inside. In this case, you’ve chosen distraction over rest and it didn’t provide what you needed. Choose rest. If this happens again, put your seat back, close your eyes and set your alarm for 10 minutes. Just be quiet and re-set. Allow the rest to fill your energy vessel. Distraction only puts off what we really need, and that is rest. Stay focused on what you really need and beware of all that is a distraction.
I hope one or more of these ideas has triggered a desire in you to seek more rest. It’s worth it to try. You’ll feel more confident and not so overwhelmed. You’ll show up with more peace and purpose!