Assignment begins below. Please take the course of your week to complete. If it takes you longer, that is okay. Be patient with yourself as you thoughtfully think through it all.
Goal
And don’t forget the self-care…
Rest and self-care are concepts that get both bad reps and good. On one hand, you hear people talking about “team no sleep” and “i’ll rest when i die” and so on…and this is met with positive feedback by the way! It’s usually someone talking about building a business or finishing a major project or degree or something like that. On the other hand, there are people like me…taking a nap at every turn!
Am I lazy and the other person is not? Let me confess right now…I used to be that other person. It was in my fitness journey to the competition stage when I learned how important rest is in the GROWTH process. In my case it was growth of the muscle. Without the proper rest, all of the heavy lifting I had done would not work…muscle needs 6-8 hours of rest to recuperate. It’s applicable all the way around. You can’t run on fumes. You need rest.
In your journal, write down how much rest you get daily. Write each and every moment you take during the day to rest. It could be coffee breaks when you are sitting still sipping coffee away from your desk and in silence, or when you run out to the car on your lunch break and take a ten minute power nap (these are the best), or what about the decompression time you take when you pull into the driveway and stay in the car for 20 minutes? Oh…is that just me?? Okay! And then of course, your sleep times and nap times.
Take a good look at it. What does it add up to? Are you getting enough REST?
Identify
If you are already getting 6-8 hours of sleep per night, plus taking rest periods throughout your day, congratulations! That is something major to be proud of! There is still work to do (along with the rest of us) though so get your journal ready!
In what areas can you improve your rest? For example, are you skipping breaks? Are you allowing clients to book in spaces you have blocked for lunch or dinner? Are you a person who never says “no” and so your yes becomes exhausting and work? Make a numbered list. Pay close attention to what you body tells you during this process and how your soul is responding.
Next, make a numbered list of all the things you do that allows for rest! I’m praying this list outnumbers the other! But if it does not, do not beat yourself up about it. Just take note in my mind and get ready to make some changes. Notice how your brain and soul connects while creating this list as well.
Commit to being a better rester. Get more sleep this week! Go to bed a half hour earlier than normal, then wake up 15 minutes earlier. SMALL CHANGES makes for huge gains!
Affirmation
REST IS SELF-CARE. I love myself enough to rest!
(Repeat over and over again)