I bet you’ve heard it all before. A good night’s rest. Limiting gadget use. Less processed foods. Exercise. More of the good stuff. And you manage to sneak in one or two. But why do you feel so drained and spent? Why won’t naps do what they should? And, what does this mean when how to rest when working virtually or brick and mortar is complicated by family activities that also need to get done?
If this is how you feel most days, then you aren’t getting the type of rest you truly need. If you wake up still depleted, it probably isn’t sleep. It’s a rest issue.
We often confuse sleep and rest. We go through our daily routine thinking we’ve rested just because we managed to sneak in five to eight hours of snooze. But in reality, we’ve been missing out on the rest that we need. More than ever, we’re pushed to achieve and perform. While this is great at encouraging us to explore our potential, this often leads to chronically burned-out individuals.
Here’s how to get the rest that will leave you feeling restored
The first type of rest you must get is PHYSICAL REST. Get the necessary sleep and naps you need (Passive physical rest). Sneak in restorative activities as well, such as stretching, yoga, and massage therapy (Active physical rest).
The second type of rest is MENTAL REST. Do you sometimes struggle to find the right word for something? Ever felt like your brain’s beaten to a pulp? Then you need to get your mental rest right. Mental exhaustion can be sneaky. You may struggle to comprehend the same page of a book for 10 minutes or realize (to your horror!) that the email you sent to everyone is incomprehensible. Get your dose of mental reset by taking a short break every two hours throughout the day. Take a walk for five minutes. Look at greenery. Or simply stay seated with your eyes closed. Short breaks like these tell your mind to slow down instead of jumping from one thought to the next.
The third type is SENSORY REST. We know this all too well. Computer screens, phones, background noise, tablets… all these can overwhelm our senses. Sensory exhaustion is one of the bigger culprits. In addition to sensory overload, it also causes neck tension, eye strain and to some extent, failed relationships. Gadgets and computers are easy to get along with. You don’t need to carry on a conversation nor mind your manners. But this also breaks intimacy and much needed emotional connections. Catch up on sensory rest by taking frequent breaks and putting aside technology on scheduled days or hours. Avoid the habit of checking on your phone or news before you put the lights off.
Another type (and one that isn’t often discussed) is EMOTIONAL REST. Grief, frustration, fear, and anxiety take their toll. It’s an inevitable part of life. But ignore the emotional overload and you may very well end up with depression. Get the respite you need by talking it out with a trusted friend or scheduling regular sessions with a coach or therapist.
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How does working from home impact rest?
For most of us, working from home is a dream come true. But while the daily commute from kitchen to work desk takes no more than five seconds and while we get to relish time with our families, our hours seem to fill up fast. The shttps://learn.corevalues.com/courses/6-principles-that-build-high-performance-teamspare time you manage to squeeze out is easily filled with the minutiae of your (new) daily grind. And, since the care giving for family as a rule falls to women, how do you juggle rest for yourself with small children demanding your attention when you take a few minutes to restore yourself?
What if there really is no time for rest and rejuvenation? How do you squeeze in “rest”? And can you even manage to rest in “installments”?
YES!
Here’s how to rest when you hardly have more than thirty minutes to spare.
- Tip #1: Eat a proper meal: Meals are sacred. Avoid eating at the same place you work. When you take your meals, don’t do anything else. Don’t read, scroll through social media, or watch Netflix. A proper meal is a gift to yourself. And it needn’t be fancy as long as you take this small effort to dine properly.
- Tip #2: Go for a quick stroll: If there are safe areas for you to stroll, take advantage! Wander along the lake or nature park. Can’t? Head outside and spend some time under the sun. Doing this in silence (with no purpose other than to simply talk a short walk) works wonders for relaxation.
- Tip #3: Meditate: Listen to meditations at night. It calms your mind and can even lull you to sleep. Not a fan of someone talking as you lay in bed? Relaxing instrumental background music works just as well.
- Tip #4: Soak: Don’t save those fragrant bath bombs for when. Now is a good time as any. Treat yourself to a warm bath (preferably with essential oils) for 15 minutes. The warmth penetrates muscles and helps detoxify your body. No tub? No Problem. Soak your feet! Immersing your feet in a basin of water is a quick holiday. Foot soaks soothe muscles and help relieve aches and pains from standing (or even sitting) too long.
- Tip #5: Do something you love: What relaxes you? Is it baking? Reading? Learning something new? Do it. Read that novel that’s been sitting there since the pandemic began. Enroll in that course (TIGERS), or don that swimsuit (even if it’s just in your backyard). The goal is to unplug from our daily frenzy. Instead of using that extra time to load the laundry or check on the kids’ homework, take this time out for you. Use this mini hiatus to calm your mind.
These five tips are rituals to adopt. And, you can take the one that resonates the best for you. Just make sure you protect time for yourself and rest daily. It rejuvenates both body and mind and makes you more resilient to tackle complex issues and projects and improves your success.
Care to dig deeper into this conversation on rest?
The following resources are helpful when how to rest when working virtually or brick and mortar is an issue.
- How to melt your stress within 30 days.
- Remote work fatigue and how to manage it
- Your Better Sleep Checklist
- 7 Ways to Rest When You Have a Busy Life
- The 7 Types of Rest You Need to Actually Feel Recharged
Copyright TIGERS Success Series, Inc. by Dianne Crampton
About TIGERS Success Series
TIGERS provides a comprehensive, multi-pronged and robust system for improving your workforce behavior, work culture, profitability and project management and team leadership success. We license HR managers, Consultants, Business Coaches and Project Managers in the use of TIGERS proprietary resources.
We specialize in building cooperation among employees and collaboration between departments for profitable agile, high performance team outcomes. Scaled to grow as your organization and leadership performance improves, our proprietary TIGERS Workforce Behavior Profile, Micro-Training technology and group facilitation methods result in your high performance team outcomes and change management success.
