Tag Archives: rest

Sometimes, to keep going, we have to allow ourselves to stop.

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“Sometimes, to keep going, we have to allow ourselves to stop.”

—Gretchen Rubin, NY Times Bestselling Author, Podcaster, Speaker

Image from Unsplash by Shane

It wasn’t until I had grandchildren that I learned “happy hour” was a new definition for a nap.

Regardless of my meditation practices, exercise efforts, and nutritional pursuits with the latest super foods, just a handful of hours with our two little ones drains most of the pep from my steps.

With some adjustments to our schedules, we have found ways to include the kids in some of our renewal and recharging efforts, including lots of quiet cuddling with pop-pop and grand-mom.

EXERCISE:

Where and when in your life do you feel the greatest need to stop in order to keep going?

How can you monitor and manage your energy levels to optimize your intentions and actions?

Consider picking up a copy of The Power of Full Engagement if this post resonates.

When something small loudly demands all of our attention

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“When something small loudly demands all of our attention, its noise often drowns out the whisper of what’s enormously important.”

—Craig Groeschel, American Clergyman

Image of a woman whispering to a child

Image from Unsplash by Sai de Silva

We live in a very noisy world. If you are like many folks these days, the decibel levels and shiny object distractions have reached new heights and the pace is accelerating exponentially.

Although there are extraordinary opportunities through the abundance of these worldly demands for our attention, we all require gaps in our days to recharge and renew.

EXERCISE:

Create two lists for your personal and professional life. Label the first list Important Whispers and the second Loud Demands.

What strategies can and will you employ to increase the time for items on the first, and reduce or perhaps eliminate items from the second?

When things aren’t adding up in your life start subtracting

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“When things aren’t adding up in your life, start subtracting.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a paper with math problems

Image from Unsplash by Antoine Dautry

A few nights ago I was watching a Netflix documentary series titled “A User’s Guide to Cheating Death,” with Tim Caulfield.

This particular episode was on sleep, and its importance to our overall health and well being.

Through various experiments and interviews with lay people and members of the scientific community, it appears that many, if not most people, have unfortunately subtracted various amounts of sleep from their lives, with considerable consequences in their physical, mental, and emotional well being.

EXERCISE:

Where might subtracting other aspects of your busy life and adding considerably more time with your pillow help things add up far better in your life?

Consider checking out the series on Netfix or at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7532396/ to see what else you may wish to subtract for some other “cheating death” strategies.

Are you doing what matters

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“Are you doing what matters, or just reacting to the noise?”

—Brendon Burchard, American motivational author

Image of a man holding his ears to block out noise

Image from Unsplash by chairulfajar

It is a rainy Sunday as I write this. I am at home in my designated writing and reading chair, where I am rarely interrupted. Reading and writing are two activities that matter a lot in my life, so I proactively carve out time – especially on weekends – for both.

Rest, recharging, and renewal efforts on these days have also had me limit my cell phone use, primarily to family and friends. I’ve also cut back on virtually all forms of noisy media, to about 20% of what it was a year ago.

EXERCISE:

Consider taking five or ten minutes to create two lists. Label the first “What Matters Most in My Life?” and the second “What Represents the Noise in My Life?”

Once you have a solid list for each category, please apply the More/Less, Start/Stop Strategy to enhance your happiness and life satisfaction.

Friday Review on Resting

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FRIDAY REVIEW: REST

In our fast-paced world, rest is critical to our overall health, well-being, and success. Here are a few rest-related posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

Image of a lion napping

 

“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.”

 

 

 

“What did the carrot say to the wheat? Lettuce rest. I’m feeling beet.”

 

 

 

“The pause is as important as the note.”

 

 

 

 

Take Rest

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“Take rest. A field that has rested gives bountiful crops.”

—Ovid, ancient Roman Poet

Close up of a small crop

Image from Unsplash by Tom Ezzatkhah

Mono-cropping occurs when a farmer grows the same crop in the same place for many years in a row. It disproportionately depletes the soil of certain nutrients essential for optimal growth.

A strategy used to optimize productivity of the same field is crop rotation. This is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar or different crops in the same area in sequenced seasons, allowing the soil vital recovery time.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can and will you insert more frequent or longer periods of rest and sleep into your 24/7, workaholic, overwhelmed days, to lead a more bountiful life?

The pause is as important as the note

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“The pause is as important as the note.”

—Truman Fisher, American Composer

Image from Flickr by Ben Rogers

Do you enjoy music? If so, what types of music do you prefer?

Prioritize this list from high to low based on your preferences:

Pop Hip-Hop Holiday Electronic
Swing Classical Rock Folk
Rap Reggae Disco Jazz
Blues Chamber Country Bluegrass
Alternative Show Tunes Baroque Dance

Although the instruments used in these various forms of music can be different, it is perhaps the pauses, or rests, as much as the notes that are played that give each genre its own special sound.

EXERCISE:

Consider your life as a form of personal symphony. Where would paying even more attention to the pauses, to resting between your life notes enhance the melodies in your world?

What the carrot said

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“What did the carrot say to the wheat?  Lettuce rest. I’m feeling beet.”

-Shel Silverstein, Children’s Book Author

Image from Flickr by LollyKnit

Image from Flickr by LollyKnit

Most everyone agrees that we should all eat our veggies and a balanced diet for optimal health.

Exercise and the proverbial “use it or lose it” philosophy is another component to health and wellness. Rest, sleep, and recovery time, on the other hand, often take a back seat to diet and exercise. Here are some key facts that may inspire you to give rest an equal footing with nutrition and exercise:

Rest and Relaxation:

  • Protect your heart
  • Lower your risk of catching a cold
  • Boost your mental power and memory
  • Lower your risk of stroke
  • Improve your mood and feelings of well-being
  • Help you make better decisions
  • Help you lose weight by reducing stress eating
  • Lower the incidence and risk of disease by boosting your immune system

EXERCISE:

What steps can and will you take to increase the quality and quantity of your rest and rejuvenation strategies to enhance your health and overall well-being?

“The problem with doing nothing….”

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“The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you are finished.”

—Nelson DeMille, American author of thriller novels

Image from NickyMenarkayaonline.com

Image from NickyMenarkayaonline.com

We all need a break from time to time to recharge, refresh, and simply stop the frenetic pace most of us keep.

A potential challenge to this usually well-deserved respite is to know, as today’s quote states, when we are finished.

EXERCISE:

Instead of an open-ended period of “do nothing,” please consider actually scheduling it in your calendar. When the time period is up, you can determine if it fits your recharging needs or not.

Consider learning about Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach Program, and his concept of Focus Days, Buffer Days, and Free Days.