Making REST Work for you, Without Missing Out!
I find it so interesting how difficult my dance with REST has been as an adult and a mom and a business owner over the years when in fact my SERVICE as a Chiropractor is all about REST and listening to when REST is needed and dealing with the effects of not listening to when REST is needed.
Chiropractic, more than anything gives the body a chance to REST and assimilate and adapt to stress. It gives the nervous system an opportunity to reorganize patterns that are creating chaos and dis-ease. It gives the brain and the spinal cord an opportunity to REST and repattern and work better. And yet, REST is something that this just does not come naturally for me. So , like a Woman Warrior that I am, I have figured out a way to give REST the time and space it needs in my very busy life.
I am a go getter, a shaker and mover, and REST does not come naturally for me. But what I have found in my dance with success is that I need to take the things that don't come naturally to me and explore them and learn them inside and out so that I can better myself, adding tools to the toolbox I need to move through the world with grace.
REST is like an old friend who knocks on your door when attention is needed. REST has the ability to rejuvenate the most fatigue, and rekindle fire within
So, after taking a close look at the role of rest in my life here is what I've come up with;
Rest, everyday.
I nap everyday. No matter what. Even if I'm not tired, I go upstairs, I get in bed I look out the window, I daydream, and if I fall asleep I fall asleep. Some days my break is for 20 minutes and some days it's for over an hour. I guess it depends on what my body needs that day. I may not necessarily know the awaited rest timing, however everything I do is scheduled around that rest. If I don't get it I feel it and everyone around me feels it.
Take breaks from movement.
Once every few days I take a break from working out I let my body chill out.
I notice a lot more emotional waves and a bit more reactivity in my answers with my kids on these days. But I also know how important they are. They give me the chance to feel where my body is sore, how I am pushing it, what I want more of and what I want to decrease.
Meal Prep.
Rest also shows up in my ritual of meal prepping. When I'm prepping food and organizing food for the week it's the most restful experience ever. It gives me a chance to lay back and take a breath and know that I am cared for, and that the next few days are all set for what I need to be well nourished.
Have NOTHING time.
I went to summer camp for 10 years as a kid and every day we would have rest hour between 12 and one after lunch. Nothing was scheduled during that time. It was free time to collect your thoughts and be quiet and turn the lights out. Literally the lights in the cabin had to be out and there was no talking allowed. I think rest hour was one of the many tools that I have taken with me from summer camp and implemented in my life as an adult.
We have to take care of ourselves like we would our children, or our favorite pet. We have to nurture and nourish ourselves regularly. Once a week take a screen break for a day. Once a quarter take a WORLD break for a weekend. Weave in breaks, so you don't break. You will thank yourself for it.
