Wellness Wednesday – Finding Rest

I LOVE to work. So much so, that at one point in my early college days I had five jobs at the same time on top of being a full-time student athlete. None of these jobs were overly demanding on their own, but when combined I was being pulled in so many different directions that my body was operating on fumes. Twenty-one-year-old me fought the need to rest, knowing everything was temporary and I would be off to bigger-and-better things following graduation. 

Fast forward six years. I found myself working as a tax accountant for a reputable firm in Indianapolis. I loved the company and the people I worked with, but again found myself being pulled in so many different directions in the heart of busy season that I honestly was not sure I would make it to April 15th as a sane person. Anyone that has worked in a public accounting firm knows your body is in a near comatose state in the days following a major deadline, such as April 15th or April 30th. Once you have had a chance to rest both mentally and physically, your body and soul are ready to resume your pre-busy season life. After this busy season, my comatose state lasted over a month, mainly because I reverted to my invincible college days and started saying yes to things well before my body was fully rested.

Fast forward again, this time to July 2022. I was getting ready for a friend’s wedding, blow drying my hair to be exact, and I threw out my back. Yes, you read that right, drying your hair can be dangerous. I had my head flipped down, drying the back of my hair for a little extra volume, and in the motion of flipping my head back upright, I went down. It was a pain I never want to experience again. But, invincible me showed up again, I needed to be at this wedding. So, I crawled to the living room, laid on the ground, and set a timer for 20 minutes. Surely after 20 minutes, I would be rested enough to finish getting ready. The reality after 20 minutes was, I stood up and walked at a crippling slow pace back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Once I arrived at the bathroom, a heat rush came over my body and then I passed out. Luckily, my husband was in full supervision mode at this point and caught me. Needless to say, I did not attend the wedding. 

This was the turning point for me. I finally realized I am not invincible. I need to slow down. And most importantly, I gave myself permission to rest. In the months leading up to the back incident, I experienced several life events. I did not realize it at the time, but these events were putting a tremendous amount of stress on my body. The back incident was my body screaming at me to take a break. 

Here are 7 ways I started incorporating rest into my daily routine following the incident: 

1. Sitting in silence. I love listening to music, podcasts, or even watching TV, but I find time every day to sit in silence. This is especially important for me on days I have exerted a lot of energy around people, whether in person or virtually. 
2. Limiting time on social media. This can be such an energy trap!
3. Reading more books. I have an active mind, so reading helps me find focus.
4. Stretching my body.
5. Finding time to be outdoors. Living in the Midwest, this gets tricky in the winter but now that Spring is here, you are most likely to find me outdoors.
6. Having a more defined sleep schedule. While sleep does not mean rest, it certainly plays into it. 
7. Giving myself permission to say no. I am typically a yes person, so this has been the hardest one for me to abide by. 

If you are like me and have found yourself pushing your body to its breaking point more times than you care to admit, I encourage you to take a break and explore ways to incorporate rest into your daily routine. As hard as it might be to slow down, your body will thank you. The rested, rejuvenated version of yourself will allow you to show up to the things you say yes to as your authentic self.

May you stay rested and be well.