How do you feel about Rest & Relaxation? Do you make it a priority in your lifestyle?
Taking time out for rest and relaxation can be difficult for many of us. We need to change our mindset. Rest and relaxation is essential to our wellbeing and not a reward.
What is Rest & Relaxation?
Relaxation differs from rest, in that relaxation is our mind’s way of rejuvenating, and can assist in reducing the arousal we experience from stress and/or anxiety. This means that while rest occurs while we are asleep, relaxation occurs while we are awake, and involves us engaging in activities that we enjoy.
Psychprofessionals
Being tired and feeling overwhelmed is a sign that you need to prioritise your self-care and be kind to yourself.
Today I am going to explore some of the obstacles we put in the way of prioritising rest and relaxation and how we can shift these.
I don’t have time for rest & relaxation!
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, you’ve heard the saying no doubt, BUT we are all at different stages and seasons in our life which will dictate how much time we have to spend on ourselves.
The key here is, you need to spend SOME time on yourself and make your rest and relaxation a priority.
We can’t pour from an empty cup, if our own needs are met we will have the emotional resources we need to help others.
Creating BOUNDARIES in your life will help you carve out some me-time in your schedule, you can read more about this in my previous post Creating Boundaries for a Balanced Life.
How can you carve out 10 minutes in your day for relaxation?
- Get up 10 minutes earlier
- Schedule time for a walk, even just around the block
- Set an alarm on your phone, make an appointment with yourself
- Use routines to create more pockets of time in your day
- Create a ritual for your relaxation time, make it a habit
- Be intentional – know why you are taking time, how are you going to relax?
We always seem able to find time for things that are important, we need to make our rest and relaxation IMPORTANT.
Self-care isn’t selfish
Do you prioritise others needs over your own and end up with no time or energy left for yourself?
Does your relaxation time ends up with you veging out in front of the TV.
Don’t get me wrong, me and my family love watching TV and will spend time together watching movies or Netflix series. We just need to be intentional with our relaxation for it to be as effective as possible. Would reading a book or magazine with a cuppa or engaging in a hobby you love rejuvenate you more?
It is not selfish to make your needs a priority.
By making yourself a priority you are showing yourself respect. You are showing those around you that you deserve respect.
It is easy for others, whether it be family, friends or people at work to take advantage of us and the generosity of our time if we don’t set boundaries and SHOW them that our needs are important too.
Taking care of our physical and mental health is important for our future self.
If we keep running on empty we will burn out and our body will MAKE us stop and rest through illness.
Have you ever experienced this?
It is frustrating because as much as we might WANT to carry on, we are unable to, this leads to low self esteem and feeling out of control and overwhelmed.
We can ensure this doesn’t happen by taking TIME to take care of our own needs or asking for SUPPORT and delegating. I know, this is easier said than done!!
It’s too expensive
You may think that self-care and relaxation are linked to activities that need to be paid for such as a facial, massage or some elaborate spa day.
While these are all lovely and money well spent, taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are some ideas:
- Take 10 minutes – make a cup of tea, read a chapter of a book, breathe or meditate quietly.
- Get outside
- Call a positive friend
- Listen to music
- Journal, get your thoughts and feelings on paper
- Pamper yourself, face mask, foot spa, aromatherapy bath…
- Get enough sleep
- Create a bedtime routine to wind down a prepare for rest
Relaxation is refreshment for the body and the mind. It helps:
- Lower depression and anxiety
- Decreases hypertension
- Reduces heart attacks
- Increases immunity
Baby steps
Take it slowly.
Mindset shifts can take time.
Spend some time thinking about what you would like to include in your life to make rest and relaxation a priority.
What will you look forward to doing? What do you want to make time for? What changes do you need to make to create the space in your day?
Enlist those around you that care for you to make you accountable to yourself, to ask you “how have you taken care of yourself today?”
If you would like to chat with me about your unique menopause transition, book a Wild Well-Being call and come away inspired and motivated to begin your journey to optimal health.
Have a great week.
With love
Sue x