5 Ways To Add Rest Into Your Day

Go. Go. Go. That’s the environment we live in. It’s fast-paced. Stressed. Tiring. 

We could all use some moments of slow. Moments of calm. Moments to think!

Here are 5 simple ways that you can begin to add some rest back into your days and into your life.

1.     Go to bed when your kids do!  If they are little, this might mean an early bedtime. But you don’t have to sleep. You can read for ½ hour or listen to some music by a bedside radio. But give your body time to be still. To ponder. Relax. Slow down.

2.     Turn your cell phone off for ½ hour. It’s the best way to not be tempted to jump and read texts or notifications when they come in. Place it in a room where you won’t reach for it and set a timer, if you have to.  Use that ½ hour to color with a child, read a book, fold some laundry, or simply sit in a chair and look out the window. You’ll be amazed at how much calmer and clearer you will feel after a ½ hour of slow!

3.     Eat in your car while out doing errands. Believe me. I’ve done this and it’s so nice! Either take a sandwich with you or grab some food to go somewhere and then just pull over in a parking lot and eat. By yourself.  If you have a baby, of course, only do this when you can leave the little one at home with a spouse or sitter.

4.     Set your alarm for ½ hour before you need to get up. Then just stay in bed.  I feel so much readier to face the day when I get up slowly instead of bouncing out of the bed and racing for the day first thing! Start slow. Start calm.

5.     Go for a walk. Not a fast walk. A slow walk. If it’s cold where you live, go inside your local mall in the morning.  Don’t rush through it. This is not a walk to burn calories, but rather a walk to burn stress. Look around. Collect your thoughts. And enjoy.

None of these ideas are magical. They aren’t super “stress busters.” They are simply little ways to help you slow down your fast pace.  They may not seem like much, but they do help. 

Add a little more rest into your heart today by grabbing each little chance you have to collect your thoughts.  Your heart and your mind will thank you.