Well hello to you my reader chums! I'm guilty of admitting, I'm not very good at taking rest days, having a break, or pausing on being busy; it's just part of who I am. However, as I've gotten older, I've begun to learn that it's more than okay to take a break, take a step back and simply rest - and why I should be doing this more.
Whether you're like me and don't know when to stop or are feeling guilty about having a rest day, here are the reasons why it's so important to have a rest day.
It's a chance to recharge
If you're constantly going for it, whether that's in your job or your fitness routine, then eventually you will burn out, which isn't healthy at all. And, it will have a detrimental effect on your mental health - which will only make you associate the thing you're overworking at as a negative image.
Having a rest day from work, fitness, or your busy life will give your body and mind the chance to relax and recharge - so when you want to go for it again, you'll be ready for it. If you work at 100% all of the time, you won't be able to always give a high percentage of energy, as that'll slowly dwindle, and you'll be working off tired fumes.
Take regular breaks and recharge to be able to get your full self back and then give your all. I've found this to work a treat, whether that's for my blog, job, or a fitness routine. Giving myself time to recharge means, I'll be able to be on my A-game again - you need to recharge like your phone does every single night.
To take care of your body
Your body is your temple and should be taken care of in every instance, whether that's with what you eat, getting out and out, looking after your mental health, and doing things that are right for you. But, it also comes down to ensuring you're giving your body the opportunity to relax and rest when it needs it, in order for you to live your best self.
You only get one body and you need to look after it. After all, your body does everything for you; it keeps you alive and heals you - and often or not, the physical symptoms it shows you such as anxiety or pains, are warning signs of how you're taking care of it.
I've definitely started to take care of my body a lot more recently, fuelling it how it needs, exercising, keeping hydrated, and making my mental health a top priority in day-to-day life.
To learn to live intuitively
This has to be my favourite tip as really links to why resting is so important for your body and mind. Living intuitively means really listening to your body in terms of eating and what it needs in every given instance. If you feel like you need to get up and go for a walk, do it, if you're feeling extra tired, have a sleep and if you're hungry, eat. It's really that simple - and will do you wonders.
Your body is more in tune with your mind than you think and listening to it really is key. This is why things like meditating, using crystals, and aligning chakras, really help you figure out what your body needs.
To understand life isn't meant to be full-on all of the time
I feel like this is something I need to shout at my past self because as I've previously said, I'm guilty of being a very busy person as I thought that is what life is meant to be about. However, this is not the case at all. Life is what you want it to be, and as humans, we're not designed to work all the time. We're put on this Earth to enjoy everything around us and appreciate, and learn from everything thrown our way.
Life can be fast sometimes and it can also be incredibly slow, and both ways are okay - but as long as you take the rest involved with that is the most important thing.
And know, some of the best things in life are at a slower pace
It probably took me until we went into the first lockdown to realise this point. With the world shutting down, we were forced to stop our fast-paced lives and go into something a lot slower. Once I started living at a slower pace, I realised the beauty in it and I didn't have to constantly be busy with work, socialising, or jetting over the world to be fulfilled.
I could get the same fulfilling feeling taking a walk down the local beach, spending an afternoon in a good book, having a workout, and having facetime with a pal. I didn't need all the fancy extras - and this also helped me realise why a slower-paced life and taking rest days are so beneficial to my mental health.
I hope you enjoyed this post. What other reasons do you have?
Thank you for reading <3