Give yourself Permission to Rest.
It’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life, right? If you’re feeling exhausted, but you don’t feel like you have time or space to rest… you need to give yourself Permission to rest! Here are 5 tips that can help you as you navigate how to find rest in the middle of a busy life.
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When we first moved into our current home, I. Was. Exhausted. We had 2 babies, 14 months apart, I was a stay-at-home-mom, and I was running a small business. My hubby worked around 100 hours a week, AND we had just finished renovating our little house. 🤯
To top it all off, I had this mindset block that made me feel like I had to “keep up” with my husband — and he can outwork the energizer bunny. 😂
So, at the beginning of 2016, I decided it was time to pause adding new inventory to my Etsy shop, take a break from blogging, and just REST. (This was actually the start of my Chasing Wonderment journey, and I didn’t even know it!)
What I learned during that season of rest completely changed my life. Because, I found out that I didn’t JUST need naps…
I needed to learn to be more intentional with my time.
If you’re feeling desperate for rest, here are a few practical things you can do to finally give yourself permission to rest:
Ask Yourself “WHY?” :
Why are you feeling like you can’t rest? Use the “5 Why’s” exercise to get to the root of your mindset block — Write down your mindset block (Maybe it’s, “I don’t have enough time!”), and then ask yourself “WHY?”. Write down the first thing that comes to your mind, and then repeat it a few times. The idea is that each time you ask why, you’re uncovering a new layer, and eventually, you’ll get to the root!
Do a Calendar Audit:
If you’re feeling like you never have enough time, download this free Calendar Audit, and see if that’s actually true! You’ll either realize that you have TONS of extra time, or that you have ZERO white space. (No wonder you’re exhausted!) You might not realize how much time you have or don’t have until you see it on paper. While you’re doing this audit, don’t try to create the "perfect schedule”… the point is to see the possibilities. If you see a lot of white space, ask yourself, “How can I use this time more intentionally?” If you have NO white space left on your calendar, then think about what you’d love to remove!
What Does Rest Look Like?
When you think about rest, do you think “sleep” and nothing else? The rest I needed was quite literally SLEEP. 😂 But it doesn’t always have to be! I want you to grab a journal, and ask yourself, “What kind of rest am I feeling pulled toward?” When you open up Pinterest, do you see beautiful creative projects and long for time to do that? Are you seeing legs soaking in a bubble bath on Instagram and feeling envious? Do you crave fresh air and long hikes? It’s okay if rest looks different for you!
What Can You Eliminate?
If you’re struggling to find white space after your calendar audit, I want you to think about what is on that page. What things have you said yes to out of guilt, or feeling like you “had to”? (Which, BTW, is NEVER a good reason to say yes!) Do you need to sit down with your family and remove some of the extra curricular activities? I’m not telling you to quit commitments cold-turkey! Look at your “extras,” and ask yourself when would be a good time to say bye. Then — set a date! Put a reminder in your phone to have a family meeting, add an end date on your calendar, and look forward to the freedom that’s going to come!
Create a Neutral Mindset Shift!
Often when we try to shift our mindset, we go to these outlandish “affirmations.” I’m here to tell you: If you say “I have all the time in the world to rest!” your brain is going to MOCK you. When you are shifting your mindset, you absolutely MUST believe it. The simplest method is to find a Positive/Neutral Statement! If your inability to rest is linked to time, you could try “Today, I have X minutes to rest.” Even if it’s only 10 minutes, your brain can believe that simple shift. If you believe that rest has to be extravagant, you could say “Rest is Simple.” and look for simple ways to rest each day.
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