30 seconds of rest can improve your health
You don’t need a vacation to feel more rested, you can start with a 30 second “micro-rest” today
Let's talk about one of my most favorite things ever, rest.
I wasn't always a big fan of rest. I thought I always had to be doing and going because I was a busy working momma with things to do! I was supposed to earn my good-mom status by living in the busyness of raising young kids, right?
Only that, after years of this busyness I "do-ed" and "go-ed" myself into burnout. Yikes.
Burnout for me looked like panic attacks, super anxious thoughts at 3am, insomnia and irritability. I call my era of burnout being in a “pit of despair.” Do you name your life-eras? I think it might just be me.
When I was in the pit of despair I never rested my body or my brain during the day. At night I was exhausted but still, my thoughts didn’t stop, and sleep eluded me.
Miraculously, this is when the power of rest stepped into my life. I learned that it's not selfish to rest and it's actually extremely important for our physical and mental health. I learned that my nervous system was chronically triggered, that my body didn’t feel safe, and as a result I was always on alert. What they call being hyper-vigilant.
I also learned that if I wanted my brain to go to sleep at night, I needed to incorporate more restful moments into my day. Moments that activate my parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system to balance out all the moments of sympathetic (fight or flight) responses. My days were filled with fight or flight responses: from the chaos of working as an RN, to my kid getting in trouble at school yet again, to my own terrible thoughts telling me I wasn’t doing enough. I felt very stressed from having to do it all! And I thought I didn’t have time to include rest into my days.
I'd love to ask you, when you hear or see the word rest, do you imagine hours on the couch, or a weekend away, or something that feels - impossible right now? I thought that was what resting meant, too. But…
Here's the truth: rest doesn't have to mean a whole afternoon of "relaxing" doing nothing. Rest can be just 30 seconds of giving your nervous system a break and a chance to reset. I call these “micro-rests.”
Micro-rests are moments you intentionally put yourself into the parasympathetic state. Remember that balancing out our nervous system from all the stressors of life is how we will heal, sleep better, digest our food, and experience positive emotions like joy and gratitude. We have to create these moments intentionally for ourselves.
Tiny moments of rest tell your body you are safe. You need these throughout the day to balance the stressful and triggering "unsafe" moments your body and brain experience.
💡This is crucial: when doing your micro-rests, mental chatter is not allowed. Tell your brain that you can worry about tomorrow and go over your to-do list later. But for now, you are focusing on the present moment. Keeping your thoughts on what you are doing in the moment is how the activity actually becomes restful.
Examples of micro-rests that you can try:
closing your eyes and taking 3 slow breaths (exhale longer than your inhale) before you do the next thing at work
stepping outside for 60 seconds of sun and fresh air while your kids are occupied. They won't notice you're gone for at least 2 minutes!
slow neck and shoulders stretch while you reheat your coffee
taking a quick walk, whatever you can squeeze in. Movement can also be restful.
putting your hand on your heart and thinking "I am doing enough" while your kid has yet another melt-down
💡 And here's the mindset shift: rest isn't the reward you "earn" after you get everything done. There will always be more to do. Rest is inherent and the resource that helps you keep doing the things you've got to do, without burning out. (Or crashing out!)
You don't have to wait for a vacation or a day when your kids are "well-behaved." You can create these calm moments now, in the life you already have. And that is how you will start feeling better.
Which micro-rest idea are you going to try?
