To be honest with you, I’m tired. 2020 is a year packed with difficulty that I don’t think anyone anticipated but now everyone is dealing with in some capacity. The daily grind is now more draining than ever and stress levels are at an all time high. This is why it is key that we learn how to rest and destress daily. Self care has some interesting connotations to it, often bringing images of bubble baths and candles to mind. But taking time out of your day to rest and recover from your life can be incredibly helpful.
Stress has effects on our lives that sometimes we might not even know are happening. For instance, disturbances in sleep, headaches, trouble focusing, and exhaustion can come from stress. Stress also has a way of creeping into our relationships and friendships adding new tension. But not to fear, there is a way to help this prevalent issue!
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How Do You Best Rest?
One of the most important concepts to rest is understanding what kind of rest is the best for you. I happen to love bubble baths. Some people, however, hate taking baths and would rather go for a run to relieve stress. Learning what is recharging for you is helpful in identifying how to actually achieve helpful down time.
I love people. I love being around people. Sometimes though, I reach a time when I need a break from people. Knowing my limits and how much gas I have in my “social tank” helps me give myself space when needed.
Take some time to ask yourself where in your life you feel the most at peace is a great place to start. Do you enjoy reading a good book to take your mind off things? Are you someone who likes to chat with a friend over coffee? Does an afternoon nap give you the boost you need to keep going the rest of the day?
Ideas and Tips for Productive Rest
For the rest of this blog post, I’m going to offer some ideas and tips for you to try if you’re looking to lower your stress levels. If you are drawing a blank when it comes to down time, try some of these tips and see what best works for you!
It wasn’t until I tried some new things that I realized I had been resting all wrong. Before knowing how best I relax and recharge, I engaged in patterns of “rest” that really led to more slothfulness and stress in the long run. I realized that in order to actually be productive, I needed to find ways to relax that recharged me, rather than drained me more.
1. Time with Loved Ones
If you are a people person and you get energy from being around people, then spending quality time with loved ones is a great way to wind down. Grabbing a cup of coffee with a dear friend or calling a family member is always a good idea if you receive love in that way.
Sometimes time with loved ones can look like activities or partaking in a shared action. Other times it can be simply doing your own thing but in a room with the other person. Use time with people close to you to bring some extra joy into your heart!
Things to Do With Your Favorite People
Every so often I reach out to a friend to hang out and then we wind up sitting and staring at each other. While time spent with friends just doing your own thing isn’t a bad thing, sometimes it’s fun to do something together. Here are some of my favorite things to do with friends and family!
Are your loved ones far away? Struggling to stay connected due to distance? Check out my blog post here with ideas for long distance relationships!
2. Alone Time to Recharge
If you are someone who would rather spend time alone, blocking out time in your schedule to do that is really helpful. Oftentimes, in the day to day, we can engage with lots of people whether it be in classes, work, family, friends, etc. If you have interactions with people but crave alone time, set aside some time to distance yourself and give yourself the space to be alone.
When I need alone time, one of my favorite things to do- weather providing of course- is to go outside and hammock! Taking a good book with me and swinging in the trees is incredibly calming. Here’s a great hammock I’ve given as a gift and have used myself!
There is nothing wrong with needing a moment or two or five to yourself. Take the time you need to recharge and relax. Be sure to do things in that alone time that are nourishing to your soul. It’s important to recognize using alone time to help yourself and using it to hide from problems. If you find yourself using alone time to isolate from people and draw away and into yourself, I encourage you to get help. Reach out if you need it and don’t be afraid!
3. Get Moving!!
Strangely enough, one of the best ways to relax and destress is to exercise. Honestly, this is something I am by no means good at. When I’m tired and run down, the last thing I want to do is exercise and exert myself. But, that being said, when I get up from the couch and go for a walk, or do some yoga, or maybe even ride my bike, I feel better.
Exercising releases endorphins and helps to lower stress levels. Do you like running? Give yourself the time you need to go for a run after work or school. Like working out in the morning? Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier and do some calisthenics to warm your body up.
If you are looking for something simple and easy to start today, try yoga! It’s great for flexibility and stretching. The nice thing too is that it’s quiet and a time for you to slow down and breathe! Not sure how to do it and looking for some guidance? Try Yoga with Adriene on Youtube!
*Please don’t forget to hydrate!
Another key with this is to stay hydrated. I have been amazed lately at how little water I drink. Helping your body by giving it the hydration it needs plays into how well you feel. Drink water or tea throughout the day and especially during/after a workout!
4. Write It Down
Ok, now, let me just say that with this tip, my dad is giving himself a big ole’ pat on the back. Growing up and even now, my dad has always said “write it down!” He still encourages me to bring a pen and paper with me to always have the tools on hand.
But truly, writing things down is helpful in more ways than one. Not only does it help you keep your to-do lists in order, but it can be a great way to clear your mind.
Get a Schedule or Planner
Maintaining order in your life is key to keeping stress levels low. One of the best ways to do that is by using a planner or schedule of some kind to organize your events and tasks. You could use anything from a sticky note to a full blown planning system to help stay on track. I’ve been using the Franklin Covey Planning System for a few years now and it has been crucial to my success in college. If you’re curious to check it out, click here!
Write Your Heart Out
The other way that writing things down can be helpful is the cathartic process of journaling. Journaling is really whatever you want to make it. You could write a story of sorts, debriefing about your day and cataloging how you felt about it. Maybe you’re more interested in writing a list of all the things you want to accomplish so you don’t forget. Perhaps you want to keep a journal of all the things you’re grateful for or answered prayers you’ve seen.
Whatever way you do it, journaling and getting your thoughts on paper can be super relaxing because it gets all that stuff out of your head. Mental space and clarity is a huge key to helpfully destress. I’ll link some tools below that I’ve found useful in the journaling process!
5. Physical Rest
So, as you may know, getting adequate sleep is imperative to healthy levels of stress. Having struggled with sleep for the better part of my life, unfortunately, I know first hand how much a lack of sleep affects productivity. Physical rest plays a big role in how well we can achieve things during our day. If we don’t get a good night’s rest, it’s unlikely that our work will be at its best.
Changing your sleeping environment is sometimes necessary to promote better sleep. Is your bed uncomfortable? My college mattress is like a rock- so for me, a nice mattress topper was a necessity. How about brightness- is there too much light in your room? Black out curtains or even an eye mask can solve that problem. Small adjustments in your sleep habits can make a strong impact on the quality of sleep you’re getting.
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Another thing that I’ve learned is important is the time leading up to sleep. Are you looking at your phone right before your head hits the pillow? Are you watching Netflix in bed? Studies have shown that screen time before bed can inhibit sound sleep. If you can, try to get off screens at least an hour before bedtime to help your body wind down. Get that high quality rest your body and mind needs!
Do Your Best to Get Your Rest
At the end of the day, when you’re tired, take the time you need to relax in the best way for you. Rest and downtime looks different from person to person and that is completely ok. Also, for the record, self care is not selfish! In fact, if you take care of yourself, you will be that much better to care for others and your responsibilities.
If you are more rested and able to keep your stress levels low, you’ll likely perform better in other areas of your life. Time to relax is necessary to success. Try some of these things and figure out what works best for you! Then, you too can be “too blessed to be stressed.” 😉
Hugs,
