These restful practices will help you slow down and take care of yourself. Take a break from the busy life that may be stressing you out and rest instead.
If you think you don’t have time to rest, it is likely even more important that you take time to rest. Busyness is like an addiction for many of us. I was a busy addict. The more I did, the more I felt like I had to do to keep up, and to prove my worth (to myself and others). The problem was that measuring myself by how much I got done meant I had to do more and more and more. Until my body said, “no more.”
After weeks of extreme fatigue and vertigo and finally, a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, I had to slow down. At first, because I felt so bad and eventually because I wanted to do whatever I could to live well with MS. With a combination of slowing down, radically reducing stress by simplifying my life and working with a brilliant medical team and treatment, I do live well with MS.
It’s been 20 years since my diagnosis. My blood work is good, I have energy to consistently play tennis and go to the gym, and my routine MRI scans continue to show no new lesions or disease progression. This is why I prioritize restful practices. I want to feel well and be well.
7 Restful Practices to Help You Stress Less
Whether you struggle with a chronic condition or simply want to feel well and be well, these restful practices will serve you too. Rest looks different for everyone but if we don’t define it and intentionally practice it, we are often too busy to do it.
1. Create the habit of being unavailable.
This restful practice is a great reminder that you do have agency over your life. You get to decide what you are available for (or not) and when you are available. Create the habit of being unavailable for a little while each day by creating “me time” on your calendar. Turn your phone off and/or move it into a different room. By creating some protected time for yourself, you can better engage with your people when it’s time. We need both time for ourselves and time to be connected with others.
2. Get in bed even earlier.
In a recent edition of Weekend Favorites, I mentioned that my sleep was off. This is highly unusual for me and I didn’t like it at all. Someone suggested I get in bed at 8:00 p.m. That’s even earlier than my usual early bedtime, but I thought I’d give it a try. It’s been a couple of weeks and the pattern interrupt seems to have helped. I have to be more mindful of wrapping up the day earlier but it’s worth it. I recommend getting in bed at least an hour before you’d like to fall asleep (skip the scrolling and choose a good book instead) and if you are tired and fall asleep right away, even better.
3. Make dinner slowly.
This might sound like an unusual restful practice but turn your next meal into a restful, relaxing activity. Instead of rushing to get dinner on the table, slow everything down. Make something that requires chopping, simmering, and slow cooking. This might not happen every night, but what about a weekend afternoon? Turn on some enjoyable music and take your time creating a beautiful meal.
4. Watch a movie in the middle of the day.
I know, I know, the daytime is for getting things done. The goal of restful practices though is not getting things done, it’s stressing less, feeling well and being well. And spoiler alert, you can’t get things done effectively when you aren’t well.
I recommend becoming unavailable (see #1), and watching one of your favorite feel-good movies at home or going to a matinee at a local theatre, preferably one with recliners. Movie theaters are pretty quiet on a weekday and with your phone off, you’ll be tucked away in a cozy, dark room with nothing to do but rest and enjoy the show.
5. Help your body relax.
According to MindBodyWise Therapist, Rachel Shanken, “Tension in your body sends a false alarm signal to your sympathetic nervous system, alerting it to perceived danger (which actually isn’t danger at all). When this alarm bell sounds, your flight/fight/freeze/fawn response gets turned on. You have the power to begin to stop this false alarm cycle.”
Create a restful practice of relaxing your body. Stretch, lay down and try the feet up the wall pose or roll out your muscles with a tennis ball or massage ball. Easing your physical stress will help your mental stress melt away too.
6. Write down your heart.
Journaling is a surprisingly restful practice. It’s why I usually do it more than once a day. Holding all of our thoughts can get heavy and feel stressful. We spin them around and try to outthink them only to end up exactly where we were to begin with. Instead, write them all down. The restful part is keeping it easy. Don’t judge your writing or correct your typos. Consider shredding your journals after you write down your heart. I’ve discovered that I’m much more free in what I share on the page when I know it’s just for me.
7. Try a Little Saturday.
Little Saturday is a restful practice available to everyone. I wrote a whole chapter about it in my book, Gentle, Rest More, Stress Less and Live The Life You Actually Want. I also named my Substack Newsletter, Little Saturday Simplicity because I adore this simple ritual.
In the Nordic tradition, Wednesdays are called Lillördag, which means “Little Saturday.” They’re regarded as opportunities for mini weekend-like activities. While celebrating Lillördag isn’t an exact science, it helps to break up the workweek and is a reminder that we don’t have to wait for the weekend or a vacation to enjoy ourselves. For instance, order in dinner on Wednesday nights instead of cooking, or try another activity that you usually save for weekend.
Notice how you feel experimenting with these restful practices. If guilt pops up because you don’t think you are doing enough, reframe. Consider that what you are feeling isn’t guilt but discomfort. You are doing something different. A little discomfort is ok. Be gentle with yourself as you find the restful practices that work best for you.
