Coffee Talk #207: Let’s talk about REST, baby

It’s Tuesday! Grab your cup & let’s start chattin’.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that I’m beyond excited for our upcoming travel. I’ve shared some COVID travel tips that allowed us safe travels in the middle of the summer. This is the first time we’ll be doing some extended/far travel, so I’ll be sure to share more tips as I experience them.

This upcoming travel makes me think about rest. The tables are turning a bit, but for the most part, rest is something that is not overly talked about in professional circles. It’s like a badge of honor to be ‘so busy’ and to fill our lives with tasks. I’m super guilty of falling into this trap, and have been spending the past 2 years working toward understanding meaningful (and necessary) rest.

This is at the front of my mind for a few reasons. 1) our upcoming travel, which always rejuvenates me 2) The necessary break that will come with the colder months and my fitness business– I know I won’t be able to teach outdoors in Maryland for much longer  and 3) The crazy task lists I’ve been building lately.

We all need rest — rest is essential to life. We learn how to develop a good work ethic, but we’re not taught to develop a good rest ethic. (‘Rest ethic’ is a new term to me, that I learned from this awesome book: Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress)

Learning to rest is a skill. But good news! You can do this. It takes time and consistency, like any good routine.

Solid rest gives us rejuvenation, creativity, inspiration, and ideas. It allows us to build our enthusiasm and sustain our passion. Those ‘aha’ moments we experience? Those come from a RESTED brain. You know how sometimes you’ll have the BEST ideas in the shower? It’s not a coincidence — it’s your brain being active while you’re at rest (even though you’re showering, or maybe performing a concert).

I’ve outlined 5 types of rest that we need to experience in order to develop a personalized rest ethic.

1. Sleep – the most obvious one, yet the hardest for people to maintain. Caveat — if you are a new parent, your time is not your own. This might be a season of intermittent rest for you. But for most adults — we need like 7 hours of solid sleep. I know my brain and body function best on 7-7.5 hours. We need to be consistent with this one! My good friend and mentor Dr. Tracy Davenport is the EXPERT on sleep. Check out her work.

2. Relaxation – this is almost like ‘fake rest’ – I look at relaxation as a momentary break from work. It’s the things we do to recover and keep going strong with work. I categorize ‘self care’ in this group. It feels good for a moment, but doesn’t necessarily have the same lasting effects as good sleep.

3. Reflection – this is one that I think most people skip. Reflection can come in the form of journaling, meditating, even a moderate form of exercise. This allows you to look inside yourself. Reflection causes us to be a little uncomfortable, so I can see why many would want to skip it. Why dive deep into an issue when you could just put a bandaid over it and move on instead?

4. Active Rest – this category includes walking, taking a brief break from your work and diving back into it. I love taking active rest breaks several times throughout the day. If I end a day feeling stressed, it’s because I didn’t prioritize active rest.

5. Vacation – this is a different kind of rest, especially when we change our location and travel. Putting yourself in a situation that takes you outside your comfort zone provides new perspectives, which can be an excellent reset for the brain and creative juices. I always feel so much better after I travel and learn a new place and spaces.

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Are you getting enough rest? It’s time to work on our rest ethic, to put as much time, intention, and energy into rest as we do into work!