Have you ever had someone give you the helpful advice that you should just slow down and rest? That’s great advice, but when you have a million things swirling in your head when you lay down at night, it’s just not all that helpful.
James dives into an article about how to rest when you are too tired and busy to rest. He talks about how trying to rest just adds another thing that we are failing at when we have so much going on. We know we need to rest, but do we really know how? This episode explores the thoughts and psychology behind getting much needed rest.
Episode Highlights:
[02:53] Even when we try to rest, all of the things that we need to be doing or could be doing are still swimming around in our minds.
[03:29] The need to rest is self-evident. Statistics say that 27% of adults are so stressed out that they can’t function.
[04:16] Part of the problem of not getting enough rest is thinking that it’s such a massive thing that we have to shut down everything. Rest doesn’t have to be long large swaths of inactivity.
[05:10] Make a list of what works with no constraints. What feels like rest to you? When was the last time you did something that left you more refreshed than when you started?
[06:09] Consider passive and active forms of rest. Rest can be active like playing a sport or doing another activity.
[06:59] Hold space for rest and take the opportunity to try different activities that might be restorative.
[07:49] Consider micro versus macro rest. You have time for micro rest. Make time for small spaces of rest. Micro rest is like a snack.
[09:45] Think about rest as a matrix and what works and where it falls in terms of active, passive, micro, and macro.
[10:10] Active and micro could be quick immersion like a 7-minute workout. Passive micro could be breathing exercises.
[10:57] Journeys are active and macro areas like long commitment hobbies. Passive macro is hibernation or withdrawal and shutdown like an extended vacation.
[13:52] We need a balance of micro, macro, passive, and active to create a more balanced version of rest.
[14:12] Which of these concepts do you need to add? Do you need to think of rest as a priority?
