Body and Mind 💆🏻‍♂️💆🏼‍♀️Rest and Recovery

How do we rest? What should we do? Is it ok to do it? How much is enough? Soooo many questions like this plague us. And worse we feel guilty for doing it😕

Let’s take a look at learning what we should do to have a good rest.

1. Understand the importance of a good rest.

You don’t need to wait until you get stressed out or feeling exhausted to get some rest. Resting is crucial for everyone on daily basis. It’s the only way to relax and heal ourselves physically and mentally. And very important for a healthy body, a strong mind, and efficient work.

2. Be intentional  about your rest. Listen to your heartbeat, your breath, and your mind. Be present in that very moment and be focus all your energy and senses on resting.

Also, be mindful about your surrounding. That alone can already give your mind and your body a good rest. This can be feeling the fabric of the clothes on your skin. Really taste the taste of your drink. Listening to the wind blowing through the 🌲 Or looking at the plant on your desk.

3. Focus on your self. Really understand and figure out what exactly your body needs, how do you like to rest, what’s your favorite sound or exercise. By doing this, you have a better chance to fully reset your mind and body. Cause not every method works for everyone😵You may not enjoy meditating as I do, or you may find drawing, dancing more enjoyable for you.

HOW TO REST THE BODY

1. Exercising:

This may sound counter-intuitive, but exercising really do help in resting your body. Instead of lying on the couch and sticking your eyes to your smartphone👽 A quick few minutes of exercising will make you rest easier, have better sleep and unwind your mind. Just don’t do it within 6 hours before bedtime to avoid interfering with your sleep(note this is for some individuals)

You don’t need to do weight or any heavy exercise, simply go for a walk may just be enough. It stretches your tense muscle from sitting at your desk all day, increases blood flow, decreases stress hormones and get more oxygen to your brain. Other simple exercises you can do are yoga, dancing, climbing stairs, or playing outside with your kids!

2. Sleeping

This is a no-brainer one. Nothing is as powerful to rest your body as a good sleep 🛏 When you sleep, your whole body is relaxed, repaired and also detoxed. A short nap during the day can boost your productivity and energy. And always, always maintain a good sleeping routine with 7 to 8 hours every night.

Taking a bath

Just thinking of a warm bath after a long day at work is already so relaxing. Taking a warm bath can effectively ease the muscles, soothe the skin and help falling asleep much easier. You can boost the effectiveness of your bath with some relaxing essential oils.

Besides a warm bath, you can also try an ice bath some time❄️This is a common method among professional athletes. It can reduce swelling and inflammation, as well as promote muscle and joints healing. However, this is not for everyone, so know yourself and do some more research before trying this.

4. Getting a massage

What’s the better way to immediately release those tense muscle and relax your body than a massage? A quick few minutes of massage can help you fix your issues immensely. And there are different kinds of massage you can choose from, each will bring you different kinds of body relaxation. So do some research, try out some of them and find out which one is suitable for you.

5. Aromatherapy

Or also known as essential oils. the power of these amazing oils is no longer unfamiliar to most of us. Each of them has their own magic and when combined and used on our body, they can do wonders in relaxing the muscle tension, decreasing the pain, and improving the mood. And there are also different ways to enjoy this treatment, from inhaling to massaging into the skin.

HOW TO REST THE MIND

1. Meditating

Meditating is popularly known and used nowadays to help with your mental issues. By paying close attention to your body and feelings through meditating, you are relaxing your body, lessening anxiety, lowering blood pressure and promoting psychological recovery. It’s also a good way to increase your mindfulness and get better sleep.

2. Not thinking🙇🏻‍♂️🙇🏼‍♀️

This may sound simple but could be the most difficult thing to achieve. This is BIG for me. 🤔Our minds are always overflowing with noises, thoughts, decisions, etc that are tiring them down and leading to stress and anxiety. So practice no thinking to give your mind a true break sometime. Just find a good relaxing place, sit back, free those thoughts and try not to think about any problem. Give more attention to your present surrounding and absorb the energy around you. I know it’s not that easy but just give it a try and try to experience it.

Sleeping😴

As mention above, a quality sleeping and a napping routine are crucial for a healthy body and clear mind. There’s nothing can replace sleeping in recovering the body. So plan your sleep carefully, just like any of your big plans, and don’t sacrifice your sleeping hours for anything. Your mind and your body will thank you for this.

4. Listening to 🎵 

Sounds also can help to ease our mind. Some natural sounds like birds chirping, running water, rain or something instrumental can help to relax your mind for a while. So find yourself a soothing sound for your soul and let go of all the stress with it.

5. Nature🐞🌱

Nature always have this powerful impact on our soul and body. Beside the natural sounds, immerse yourself in the forest or simply looking at a picture of nature can help with immediate relaxation. So involve yourself more with nature by taking more walk outside, plant some trees around your place or decorate your space with more natural print and real plants.

Resting is not some random things to do in your free time. Many activities that we think are fun and resting may actually make us even more stressed and tired. Looking at more screens in your break time won’t soothe your tired eyes, or lying on the couch won’t ease those tense muscles. So be more mindful and intentional in choosing what to do in your break time.

And also, resting is not the last thing to do after your long list of works. Taking a break doesn’t mean that you are lazy⚠️And stopping for a while doesn’t mean that you quit. Your work could never be done unless your body and your mind are well-functioning. And that means you must give yourself a good rest sometime. Once you start to implement actual test and recovery in your life, you will start to crave it. You will feel the benefit and see how it creates more harmony in your life! 

So be smart, be mindful on your rest to maintain a healthy body and a creative mind for many years to come! Remember you’re worth it 😉