Autumn time: the colour of the leaves change, the air is fresh and humid when you step outside in the morning, the evenings are getting longer…
A time that invites for rest and reflection.
Do you recognize when it is time to rest ?
Do you take regular breaks throughout the day ?
Or are you slave to the action, you carry on even though your body and mind yearn for the rest and the reflection?
Imagine you have experienced intense travels and you immediately jump onto the next thing. You don’t allow yourself to rest in order to let things fall into place, to digest all impressions of a journey.
Here are some common reasons why to skip a rest…
You are so driven to get something finished that you forget about the time and the needs of your body
There is pressure from the outside, deadlines to catch…
There is pressure from your own expectation of yourself
You don’t want to disappoint your colleagues
You don’t want to be seen as lazy
You wait until you can take a “real rest” or to just get to that Yoga class or run in the evening, and when the evening has come you are too lazy to get out of the house…
Do any or more of these scenarios resonate with You?
What does a rest give you?
It’s almost too obvious to mention: simply on a survival level we need to rest in order to be able to be productive again.
We need to rest to feel ourselves, to recharge our energy…
we need to rest also to simply be, without a goal.
Kids in an early age and mother nature don’t worry about having to be productive.
They simply are and grow and evolve without effort.
A rest gives room for reflection
During a rest and reflection phase experiences can land and settle, you can take distance to look at a situation and you give time to let new things or ideas emerge.
Here are some tips to help you on the path:
Listen to the messages of your body: when you feel your eyes are burning or your shoulders are tight, or you catch yourself holding the breath or breathing shallowly:
Stop. Breathe. Shift your energy!
gently or ad-hoc, change gere.
If it is hard for you to listen to your body, help yourself to make a date:
Set the alarm during regular intervals throughout the day to check in with yourself:
breathe, make a short walk, dance for a couple of minutes just wherever you are
…and notice if you listen to the reminder – or if you click it away?
Why do you click it away?
Reserve time for “Nothing”.
Leave gaps in your agenda, keep time free that is not planned.
Reserve time after a travel simply to unpack the suitcases, wash the clothes, give yourself time to transition into the next phase.
Claim moments during a busy day to come back to your body, your emotion, your breath!
Leave a Reply