4 Ways to Create Mindful Rest
Nature always finds a way to reminds us that we can’t skip over the fundamentals. Fresh air, clean water, and rest all contribute to our growth. (Hey, am I basically a houseplant?!)
I know there are two camps of people who are reading this and thinking I’m completely insane for writing a whole article on rest. Camp 1 is saying, “no rest for the wicked, money doesn’t grow on trees.” Camp 2 is saying, “I got it down pat, Heather. I love to rest and I can do it all day.” But please, before you scroll onto Reddit or open up your Instagram, hear me out.
Rest is a tricky concept for two reasons: first, in today’s world, we have to give ourselves permission. There’s a constant feeling of needing to produce, but this causes burn out. Your life is too precious to burn out all the time! Second, the activities we often think of as rest are actually taxing on our nervous systems and we need to find a way to properly rest. Yes, I bet one day there will even be a college course on rest. (Oh, wait…)
Here are my 4 tips for creating mindful rest that really recharges your batteries and helps you achieve those things you’re after:
1.) Give Yourself Permission to Rest
This is the entranceway to your calm space. When you enter a friend’s home and they welcome you, you feel acknowledged, seen, and maybe a bit more at home. By consciously saying to yourself, ‘I give myself permission to rest,’ you can experience a physical connection to the concept. Try it and you might find yourself automatically taking a deeper breath. It might be tempting to check your phone while you’re trying to rest, but remember that you gave yourself permission - this allotted time - to chill. You can rationalize it by remembering that looking at your phone requires your brain to process an abundance of sensory input, and that by taking moments of rest throughout the day, you will have a better sleep at night.
2.) Observe Your Surroundings
When I say surroundings, I mean your real environment. Look around the room right now. You might already notice yourself starting to relax. Play a game. Notice 5 things that look appealing to you. Notice 4 things that you can imagine the feeling of touching. Notice 3 things you can imagine smelling. Another exercise is to look around and notice all the beauty in the room. This is especially nice because it takes us into a feeling of gratitude for the space around us. Sit quietly and try to listen to all the sounds around you without trying to stop them or investigate their source. These orienting exercises bring us right into the present moment and out of fretting about the future or past.
3.) Move Your Body
I know, I know, we said this was an article about rest and now I’m asking you to move your body?! I may not sound like someone who enjoys lazing about watching movies all day, but I promise I am. Movement is just another form of rest that can be calming to the nervous system. Rest is anything that, “helps you shift from absorbing external stimuli to tuning into your own body, thoughts, and feelings,” says Panthea Saidipour. In that case, you can even have a dance party and count that toward your daily restful moments. Another suggestion: go for a walk. Feel your feet connecting with the earth. Or, try your favourite yoga pose (preceded by a warm up if necessary). Feel your breath by bringing one hand to your belly and one hand to your heart.
4.) Let Your Mind Wander
I remember being a kid and being bored. Do you remember that? Sometimes I agonized over it. But it turns out a little boredom can be a good thing. Some of us (myself included) are glued to our phones. Here’s some advice that I need to take: put it down. Don’t swap it for a tv or game, or computer. Just sit down with nothing to really steal your attention. Without being bombarded by stimuli, our creativity has a chance to emerge. They say, “not all those who wander are lost,” and the same can be said of your mind. If you have a tendency to think negatively about yourself or the world around you, I invite you to be aware of that while you try this out. If you notice a worrying, negative, harmful thought, say, “I see myself thinking x,” and let that thought drift away.
Well, there are my tips! I wonder, what gives your rest zest?