4 Tips to Help You Rest When You're Busy
Today we are talking about something that I am currently learning about and walking through: the importance of rest.
I’ve heard so many stories from entrepreneurs, moms, and college students about working themselves until they were sick. I feel like personally, I’ve been on the brink of getting sick from overworking and a lack of true rest.
I feel like when a lot of people hear the word rest they think of sleep. But girl, rest is SO much more than just sleep. Is sleep important? HECK YEAH. But here’s the difference:
According to dictionary.com rest is ceasing work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
Sleep is a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.
I don’t know about you, but there have been seasons in my life where I get an adequate amount of sleep at night, but I still wake up not feeling rested. You know what I’m talking about - your alarm goes off and instead of hopping out of bed, light on your feet and ready to conquer the day, you feel like you were hit by a semi truck.
To me, rest is a soul thing. Rest is a state of being.
This time of year is the busiest for a lot of people but also the most joy-filled...a time to make memories but also a time when our to-do lists are longer than our arms.
It can be hard to prioritize rest when you’ve got 15 holiday parties to attend, cookies to make to your kid’s bake sale, and a whole line up of people who you still need to shop for.
But GETTING GOOD QUALITY REST ALLOWS YOU TO DO THESE THINGS MORE EFFICIENTLY - and honestly with a more joyful heart.
If you follow me over on Instagram, you probably know that I am coming out of a super long hustle season. I was sort of mentally prepared for it but not completely. The first year of business is usually intense but most people plan on starting a business so they can get mentally prepared to hustle - well y’all know that I started Hustle Sanely kind of on accident so instead of stepping into the hustle, I was kind of swept away by it.
And honestly, I didn’t really realize it until I was so far out to sea that I couldn’t see any land around me.
This year has been a rush. There are months where I really did prioritize rest and others where I don’t think I worked less than 80 hour weeks. And let me tell you, girl - I could tell a difference, not just physically, but in my soul when I was intentionally taking time to rest.
SO THE REAL QUESTION TODAY: How can we really incorporate rest when we are extremely busy?
But hang on, Before I start dishing out tips - you know I gotta keep it real - I am still very much in the learning stages of resting. Aka I am hardly a pro at resting well. BUT I’m always happy to share what I’m learning as I’m learning so here we go:
4 Tips for Resting When You’re Busy:
1. Define what rest is for you.
I don’t think rest is a one size fits all thing. My husband and I were having a conversation about what makes us feel rested. An outdoor run centers him and makes him feel at peace. When I run, I feel like my lungs are knives in my chest so I prefer to grab a book and sit out on the patio to read. I’ve started keeping track of times when i feel rested versus times when I feel frazzled and a very dominant pattern I noticed: when I feel frazzled I’m usually working morning til bedtime, on my phone late at night, or staying cooped up in the house. I work from home but it’s still important for me to get out of the house and get some fresh air/be around other people.
I implement 2 types of rest: long/intentional rest and quick/intra-activity rest.
Both are necessary.
Long/intentional rest is the one that I struggle with most and am actively working on implementing more consistently in my life. To me, it looks like taking 1-2 full days off of work to be present in my relationships and checking in with my mental health.
It’s really easy for me to work around the clock. Because I can do a lot of what I do right from my phone. It really is a blessing and a curse that my home office is so accessible at all times. Plus, it’s no secret that I’m a recovering workaholic so put all of that together and you have a lot of temptation to constantly be working in some capacity.
I have to be very disciplined in choosing to rest well for an extended period of time each week. I’m really good at tricking myself into thinking I’m resting - “Oh I’ll just sit outside and get some fresh air….while catching up on answering DMs. Or watch a movie….while working on designing the next product that is coming out.”
Just because I enjoy my work - it is still important to step away from it on regularly so I can be filled up and rejuvenated mentally and creatively.
The other type of rest that I am better at right now is “intra-activity rest - this is where I schedule in breaks throughout my work day. Every hour or so, I like to step away from my laptop and leave my phone inside. I go out in my backyard and just take a few deep breaths.
Almost every time, when I come back, I feel more equipped to work through my day’s tasks. It’s amazing what a few minutes of fresh air can do for the soul!
So to recap, tip 1 for resting when you’re busy is defining what rest looks like for you. Figure out what makes you feel rested -and remember there is no wrong answer - it can be hiking, reading, watching a movie, drawing - whatever it is for you...do more of it!
2. Schedule it in and make it a priority.
Real talk: your to-do list will never be complete. Ever. To-do lists are like laundry. As soon as you finish folding and putting clothes away, you turn around and see your husband’s work uniform chilling at the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper.
You finish something and 2 more things are added to the bottom of your to-do list.
You can choose to be overwhelmed by this OR you can leverage it as freedom. Freedom to know that NO MATTER HOW MANY HOURS YOU WORK you’re never going to get it all done.
That’s why you HAVE to schedule in rest. Because it’s not going to just happen on its own, girl. With how busy we all are, we WILL find something to fill any time gaps we have. I know I talk about it all the time, but that’s because I put my whole heart and soul into creating it - but in The 6-week Hustle Sanely coaching program, I have my clients draft up their ideal weekly schedule based on time tracking that I have them do earlier on in the program. They see where their time is actually going and then write out where they want their time to be going. Part of creating this schedule is building in REST before you start tossing in your to-dos. I also have them insert spending time on their mental health + relationships into their schedule before other responsibilities.
If you schedule these kinds of things in, they’ll happen.
If you don’t, they wont.
Then before you know it, 2 months have passed and you haven’t been on a date or taken more then 10 minutes to reflect on your mental health. NOT GOOD.
Scheduling in rest is not hard it just requires discipline. You have to guard that time because it is sacred.
And I’m not telling you to set aside 3 hours a day to rest. Maybe you can schedule in 30 minutes a day of intra-activity rest and then devote one day completely off to rest and recharge and spend time with your loved ones.
3. Get other people involved.
I’m willing to bet that you have people in your life, whether family or friends, who cherish time spent with you. Who appreciate seeing you operate from a healthy place mentally. Tell these people your rest schedule and ask them to check in and help hold you accountable.
I know when I tell my husband that I’m not working past 6 PM because I want to spend time with him in the evenings, he will quickly be like UM EXCUSE ME GET OUT OF YOUR OFFICE if I try to sneak in an email or something.
I’ve talked about this on the podcast before, but we were not created to do live alone. We were created for community and companionship.
4. Understand the benefits/impact of being truly rested.
Girl, it’s no secret that I have big dreams. I want to write books, create a paper planner line, and nurture this podcast so it will continue to grow. I absolutely cannot make these things a reality if I’m showing up day after day burnt out and overwhelmed. When you show up with a sluggish mind, you spend your energy trying force yourself to move an inch whereas when you show up well-rested, you can spend your energy doing things that actually move the needle and you’re able to make true strides toward your goals.
Think about it, most people who own successful businesses that I follow, all talk about how they prioritize things like working out, meditating, journaling and spending time with their families.
If you are plowing through your tasks from a place of being overwhelmed instead of rested, you’re not going to bring your best work to the table. Period.
It can be tough to give yourself permission to truly rest but when you do, you’re giving yourself the change to recharge which allows your mind and creativity to work more efficiently when you do sit down to work.
Something that I’m wanting to explore more is the idea of observing a Sabbath. If you’ve been around church, you’ve probably heard the term SABBATH - it’s defined a day of religious observance and abstinence from work. And something that was brought to my attention recently: keeping the Sabbath day holy is one of the 10 commandments...like we would not be cool committing murder or stealing, which are also part of the 10 commandments, but for some reason we don’t think it’s a big deal to not observe Sabbath. It is a big deal and we need to really lean in and start practicing true Sabbath rest.
Like hello, God himself rested on the 7th day after creating the earth. IF GOD RESTS WE NEED TO BE RESTING!
It’s really been on my heart lately that the more we push, push, push, by working tirelessly without rest, the less space we’re allowing for God to speak to us, teach us, and guide us. I believe He’s always doing those things, but if we’re filling our schedules to the brim and not leaving margin for rest, we’re going to miss what He’s sharing with us. Plus what I’ve found to be true in my own life - when I am intentional about rest, I’m able to work less but accomplish more. Because when I show up to do work rested, I can bring a sharp mind and clear heart to the table, you know?