Giving Myself Permission to Rest

Are you tired? I once listened to a speaker who ran marathons. Since I’m a runner and I’ve done half marathons, this caught my attention. 

He said one of the most profound things he learned in his training is this: 

A rest day is a training day.

It is scientifically proven that muscles need days off in order to rest, regenerate and grow. During exercise, the muscle is broken down and it is the rest days in which the body actually builds the muscle. 

I am reminded of this as I needed some downtime this week. I was exhausted! The challenge was that my work was also piling up. It can often be counterintuitive to rest but that’s when I can gain the most. I grow in ways that are beyond my to-do list, oftentimes bringing clarity to what is most important or to a problem that I need to solve.  When I am physically tired, I am mentally, as well. 

Here are some tips I utilize to give myself permission to stop and rest.

Recognize meaning.  I don’t know why, but it always takes me a while to realize that I’m tired. Or, if I do realize it, I ignore it. This is a good time to revisit meaning.

          What is it that is driving me to ignore the rest I need? 
          What do I need to do to give myself permission to rest? 

What can I not do today?  When I am tired but still have work to do, this is the question I ask myself. It helps me prioritize what’s most important that I do need to get done and weed out the tasks that can wait.

Actually sleep.  When I am tired, I’m not feeling my sharpest. It is easy for me to not recognize it and actually not sleep. Instead, I find myself trolling for a movie to watch or standing in the pantry mindlessly eating. Sleep is best, whether it be a nap or going to bed unusually early.

When rested, then it is a good time to revisit my goals, priorities and routines.  

          What isn’t working for me anymore? 
          What can I do differently to only work on what matters most? 
          How can I schedule more rest time? 

Rest in stillness. I find when I have this downtime, in which I’m rested, I am able to listen in a different way like in stillness or prayer.  This is when the best ideas come to me and my brain works more strategically.  

Actually taking the time to rest made me doubly productive the next day and fired up with new ideas.  This is something small that has a big impact on cultivating what counts.