Rest is becoming a foreign idea to many people nowadays. In a busy world with everyone racing to get ahead or stay in touch with social media, it gets harder and harder to rest.
We may need to reprogram what our understanding of rest is. Is rest just sitting all day long? Many of us do that already for our day job.
Is rest taking a binge watch of your favorite show on Netflix? That may not make you feel as refreshed as you think.
Here are some things that our body really needs to truly rest and feel refreshed:
Sleep. Our bodies are beautifully designed to recover with sleep! If you are not getting around 8 hours at a stretch consistently every night, then you may want to try some new strategies to help feel more rested. Cut the caffeine after 4pm, make a wind-down routine, and shut off all devices to let yourself truly rest.
If you work a sedentary job, do something active. This doesn't have to be like a marathon or something way more intense than usual. Just getting outside for a little adventure and physical activity can help you feel refreshed. Sunlight and physical activity create a positive hormone response and combat against any negative stress hormones.
If you work an active job, do a little less activity and do something that stimulates your mind. You do so much work with your hands, doing a little mental activity can be really refreshing and help you recover.
Get time with meaningful relationships. What family or friends refresh you most. Whether you are a people person or a lone ranger, we are all designed for social interaction. Whatever your capacity, getting some meaningful social time with close friends and family (without movies and devices distracting you) can help you laugh a little and fill up that emotional tank.
Do a hobby or something that is not related to work. Put the phone away, leave your work projects at the office, and do things that are not related to work. This is so refreshing because you shut off all those work-related things that stress you out.
Try one or a few of these tips and see how rest you feel. The better I apply these myself, the better I feel each day.