Be Your BEST and REST: Discover the Power of a Rest Day

In the animal kingdom, winter means it’s time to hibernate. All year long, animals prepare for a long season of slumber, gathering food and getting ready to rest until the dawn of spring. 

Humans may not hibernate like animals do, but winter is the perfect time to go inward, find peace, and prep for what’s to come. There’s power in taking a break to rest and reflect; in our modern world, it seems like we’re always running from one thing to the next, packing our calendars and to-do lists, and taking on as much as we possibly can, leading to negative effects like stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness.

This season, take a cue from the animal kingdom and hit the pause button. It’s OK to take a rest — and in fact, more rest and relaxation could just change your entire life.

Easy ways to make time for rest.

If your work week is basically “Go, go, go” from the time you wake up until the time you hit the pillow, chances are you’re taking on too much. Sit down and consider a typical day in your life. Split it up into “must do” and “nice to haves.” Is there any activity you could pause or move to another day when you have more time? This isn’t always possible, especially if you’re juggling a busy job and family commitments, but if there’s anything you can hold off on, take that time to rest.

Try to block out one weekend day to just be. Don’t make any stressful plans. Get your errands done all in one day so you can use the other to relax and do what makes you happy, or pack in the action in the morning so you have the rest of the day to unwind.

Every night, institute a “rest” rule with yourself and your family. Turn off screens and put devices in another room. Instead of scrolling or staring at a screen, spend 30 minutes doing something restful, like coloring, reading, meditating, or simply hanging out together. It can be a wonderful way to transition into bedtime for both kids and adults.

In addition, be more graceful with yourself and give yourself permission to rest. Yes, it’s easy to squeeze in just one more task or to-do because you have time, but your brain and body need time to decompress after a busy day. It’s OK to take a night off. 

Do you find yourself awake at night running through everything that happened that day, or trying to plan for the next day? Try doing a brain dump before bed, where you write down everything on your mind. Then, shelve it for the night and treat yourself to a restful activity you enjoy, like reading, knitting, catching up on your favorite show, or practicing a hobby. 

Take a staycation. Take a day or two off, block your calendar, and pretend you’re on a tropical vacation even if you’re cozied up at home. Make a dent in your TBR reading pile. Sleep in and drink coffee in bed. Get a massage. Move slowly and enjoy yourself! 

The importance of a rest day in your workout routine.

Whether you’re a marathon runner or a yoga newbie, you probably know that your body needs time to rest and rebuild after exercise. Getting in some activity every day is great, but if you’re doing too many strenuous workouts in a row, you could put undue stress on your joints and muscles. 

While your day activity will vary depending on your typical workout routine, it’s important to prioritize a rest day. For some, this could be low-impact activity like walking, swimming, yoga, or deep stretching. For others, it could be total rest, including hot baths or massage. 

A rest day is also important to help your body repair, replenish, and rebuild. It helps heal muscles and replenish energy stores, so you can get back to it post-rest day feeling stronger and more powerful.