Letting Yourself Rest and Reset

No matter who I have spoken to recently, everyone seems to have the same go-to line when asked “how are you?”.

Busy. Tired. Can’t believe it’s October already! Trying to get on top of things. 

All of these words share a pretty clear picture, and with us coming up to a long weekend, (whether your rest aligns with the Public Holiday, or fits into another time slot), it’s time for us to give ourselves permission to rest and reset. 

Have you sat and taken a really deep breath lately? The one that is from your tummy and not the one that raises your shoulders. Have you tried to relax your jaw, shoulders and lower back from the tension you are carrying throughout the day? Have you allowed your eyes to focus on something far away in the distance to help reduce eyestrain?

My answer to all of these questions will more than likely be the same as yours.

Giving ourselves permission to rest seems like it should be easy. But something always needs doing. What I have realised is that something will ALWAYS need my attention. My partner, my family, my dog, my house, my messages, social media, my extracurricular activities I have committed to, my work, my passions… The list goes on. 

I realised how many times I pick up my phone in a day/night and how much that one device can derail the time I have to rest. How it lighting up can send my brain into a train of thought and 3 hours later, I am seeing 2.30am (really recommend the “Sleep” setting on all devices!). Anyone who knows me would know that I don’t do well without sleep!

So as I go into a long weekend, I am giving myself permission to rest. To sit and take those deep breaths and let my eyes focus on something in the distance. To spend energy on the things that will help me rest and reset and not on EVERYTHING that tries to pull my attention. 

What is that thing for you? What helps you relax and reset and can you give yourself permission to do that soon?

Written by: Alexis Holmes, Creative Waikato team member