Let’s face it; life gets hectic! We all have so many things pulling at us and begging for our attention: work, family, cleaning the house, paying the bills, taking time for fun and adventure, not to mention taking time to care for ourselves via healthy food preparation and exercise. In the midst of all those things, we may feel like we have to be SuperHuman and have an infinite amount of energy.
That’s not really realistic nor is it necessarily healthy.
Sometimes the best thing to do is to simply take a time-out. When you are feeling overwhelmed, I highly recommend to take a day to rest and recharge those batteries. It is certainly much better for you than having a third cup of coffee or burning yourself out completely. I realize this may be hard to do. If you are anything like me, you probably feel a little guilty doing this when you have a to-do list that seems to never end. I feel your pain! I teach Kindergarten full-time, then put on my other hat and work as a Health Counselor, and still try to balance all the other parts of my life. Every now and then, I just need a day to tune out and tune in. A day to sleep in the sun or lounge with a good book. A day to disconnect so I can reconnect at a higher level. It really isn’t selfish to do this. In fact, it is a clear sign that you have enough sense and self-love to know your limits and set boundaries in your life!
When you give yourself a recharge day, really do just that! Don’t answer all your emails, don’t spend hours on the phone or Facebook, don’t agree to have the neighbors’ kids over to your house for a playdate. Do something as small as take a beloved afternoon nap or something as large as a spa day! But whatever you do, honor your day and your recharge time!
I also highly recommend that on your recharge day, you keep your food healthy and light. Let your digestive system have a break as well. Don’t use this “me day” as an excuse to have an “all I can eat day”. Remember, this day is to be an act of self-love, not self-destruction.
When you take some time to rest and recharge, you are taking the time to honor yourself and listen to your highest good. You know when you’ve overextended yourself; if you listen, your body will speak to you. After a day of rest, I guarantee you will feel renewed and revitalized. You will be ready to meet your tasks, loves ones, and exercise regimen with the gusto that might have been waning.
Well, I’m off to go get some sleep, but before I go, I have a question for you. How do you recharge your batteries and what benefits do you notice after? How does your work, relationships, exercise, and attitude improve with proper rest and relaxation being built into your healthy lifestyle?
Good reminder Anita. I notice that lots of people won’t take a day off on purpose, but they’ll waste a day away, trying to get up and go. Or letting half a day go by on Facebook.. then we berate oursevles for it. As you said, if we state..”i’m taking this time for me” then it’s a plan, your body, your mind understand that..and take all the benefits .. we get rested, recharged. if we don’t declare it, claim it, allow it, welcome it.. we can often chastise ourselves enough that the time off is more detrimental.
Thanks, Leah! Yes, like all good measures for self-care, planning is key! By saying it is a plan, it can allow the guilt that sometimes comes with rest to fall away a bit. 🙂
One thing that was good to hear was if we are taking that day off and we are still tired that there are some other deeper issues to work on. When you said that it just made me stop and think about some of those issues.
Right?! That is why it so important to take time and do this…then, reflect and see if you can point to some OTHER root causes to your tiredness. There are so many other reasons we might still be tired, be it diet, lack of exercise or sleep, or being anxious ..sometimes, all of them!
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