Recharge your life with rest.
It seems we
live in a society where we are expected to just go go go. Rest is considered
indulgent and most people I meet these days feel guilty at the thought of
taking a minute just to do nothing.
True?
Now obviously
we live in a world where we cannot just put our legs up and hope that some one
else will do the work for us. Work and
school are non-negotiable and if you are a mother, I am very well aware that
there is very little time. Rest becomes this foreign concept, far out of the
realms of the possible. Already you are
probably raising your eyebrow to this topic and wondering how I am expecting
you to rest. I can almost hear you all
shouting across the Internet from your computer, “ I have babies to feed! Bills
to pay! A new job I need to perform in! A nagging child at my knee! A million
things to do! How do you expect me to rest, Jess?” My best friend who is a full
time equity sales trader just texted me sarcastically after I suggested she
have some rest, “haha rest is nice hay- no time for rest”. And it is true; she
has very little time to rest.
Read on and
find out how you can incorporate rest into even the most crazy lifestyle.
What I’m saying
is that taking a moment in your life to rest and recuperate could do wonders
for your day-to-day life. It will recharge your ability to deal with your commitments,
your relationships and your overall health and wellbeing with MORE vigour and
energy. It’s a worthwhile investment of time, because the efficiency of a well-rested
mind will make every area of your life more productive and joyful.
When you just
go go go, without taking a minute you are actually mentally and physically
exhausting yourself. Remember your mind and body are intrinsically
connected.
A rested body is a healthy body!
A rested body is a healthy body!
More than that,
studies show that sleep and rest are essential building blocks of the body and
mind: you learn better if you take a nap after studying, and retain more
information long term. You become stronger and leaner more quickly if you
periodise your training (taking rest days, and easy weeks), and you avoid the
dreaded corporate ‘skinny-fat’ figure that is driven by cortisol and relentless
effort. You are exhausting yourself!
Pushing your
body into overdrive will manifest physically through tight neck and shoulders
and usually digestive malfunctions such as, gas, bloating, acid reflux and all
the symptoms attendant on an imbalance of good and bad gut flora. A stressed
body cannot digest food properly!
We all are
dominated by our sympathetic nervous systems (fight and flight) and we hardly
activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and repair).
We breathe
shallowly from our chests rather than from our diaphragms., signalling to our
nervous system that stress is coming. Oh oh!
Because of this
you can say hello to hormonal havoc in your body as cortisol and adrenalin are
being pumped through your blood without you even knowing it; the boost of these
hormones long term causing your body adrenal exhaustion and an overall hormonal
imbalance that can lead to some nasty complications such as depression, weight
gain, estrogen dominance, insulin resistance (stress has a direct impact on
your blood sugar levels), chronic fatigue and fertility issues. And of course this will accelerate the
ageing process!! Hello wrinkles!
What’s worse
that this? People nowadays are adding extra stress to their already stressed
out life. “I need to run for an hour today after work!”; “I need to see this
friend and that friend!”; “I have a to-do-list that is never ending!”; “Weekend
is here- I have so much to do!”. You
should be resting on your weekends!
Mentally you
are internalizing a lot of negativity and losing touch with your own body,
which will result in emotional turmoil. You’ll end up with the worst version of
your own self – stressed, tired, mentally slow and physically vulnerable. Well
what do you expect, you are never taking time to be present in the present
moment. You are out of touch with your own life!
Celebrity Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder says it right “ Our society
puts too much emphasis on constant “doing”, without recognizing that in the
recharging space you can come back to work, duties and relationships in a more
productive, enhanced way. Whether you are a mom, a college kid or trying to
make your way in the corporate, art, (fill in the blank) world, you may come to
a time when you just push and push and push and then leave yourself stressed
out and incapable of being the best you can be.”
Any of this sounding a little like your own life?
Well then!
Please, try to
take a moment, a few minutes out in your day – even a few minutes a week if
daily practice is impossible. If even a minute a week is impossible, just take
a moment in the month to REST, to BREATHE. Put it in your calendar! Add it to
that overflowing to-do list. Treat it like work or family commitments, because
it is ESSENTIAL to life. Your body works so hard for you all day everyday,
treat it like your temple and give it some time to replenish. You wouldn’t
leave your car to run without a service! You even let your computer sleep!
Treat yourself with even that level of respect.
When you take
the time to sit and rest even for a few minutes a day (this is why meditation
is so powerful) you are allowing for your body on a cellular level to recharge itself. Having a simple bath or
shower with a few diaphragmatic breaths can be enough to just re-infuse your
inner light.
Because when
you do you will actually find that you are more present and have more energy
for your children, partner and greater clarity of mind to perform at work and
to get through the day without being angry at the world.
You need rest to rejuvenate your mind, body and
soul.
What I do to
incorporate rest into my life:
- Daily meditation practice
- Daily breathing exercises- 20 diaphragms breathes every night before bed time/ as you awake in the morning.
- Yin exercises rather than yang- yoga, tai chi, body balance class at your gym rather than a spin class! Restorative exercises- simply lying in Savasana yoga pose 2x/day Learn how here
- A daily bath with lavender oil
- Herbal tea and ½ hour of reading a magazine
- 15 mins/½ hour brisk walk
- Tea with a friend
- Massage – get your blood flowing!
- Ayurveda treatment- hello healing!
- 8 hours of sleep- You know this by now!
- Acupuncture to restore energy flow
- 1 hour of baking/cooking a treat
- 1 hour of my favorite TV show – TV is relaxing, who cares!
- I say ‘NO’ to social arrangements when I am feeling overwhelmed and instead I choose the time to lay low, read, walk or go for a massage. Your friends will be there for you – if you can’t go to that party then arrange to meet for a walk or some tea! Go to yoga together!
A note on physical activity: My clients know my
thoughts on this.
Science is telling us to
exercise less, but smarter!
Give the excessive
exercise a break- it is making you age!
We are not designed to push our bodies to the
limit, day after day. Yes, we must keep active, but general movement, play and
2 or 3 half hour sessions of interval training a week is enough for our bodies
to burn energy, keep hearts healthy and keep our metabolism at optimal
level. I am repeating myself I know, but
if we overdo the gym we exhaust our adrenals, which are a central part of our
endocrine system hormones. Overtraining in this way depletes us, and leaves us
hormonally unbalanced, releasing the toxic stress hormone cortisol, which
enhances belly fat storage and leaves you suffering from fatigue, insomnia and
musculoskeletal breakdown.
Rather than churning and grinding on a cardio
machine for hours each day, try lower impact activities with a mental health
aspect to enhance your joy and body-awareness.
I am a big fan of yoga, pilates or body balance to get you back in touch
with your real self.
It is ok if you wake up some days and think ‘today
is a day I need to give my body a rest.’ When you are in balance your body will
tell you what it needs! It is ok to listen – your body is smart!
Now, can you all go away and incorporate some rest
into your life? Please.
Affirmation of the week: I have balance in my life.
