Although I preach the importance of rest and recovery to my clients, it is something that I struggle to do myself! My mind is constantly on my to-do list, and if I’m not taking action to accomplish whatever is on the list for that day, I feel like I’m doing myself a disservice. But this is actually the OPPOSITE of what I should be doing!
Do less, achieve more
Giving my body the time it needs to decompress, stretch and simply just be is crucial to my mindset and energy levels. Running hard 100% of the time will only set myself up for failure, so why is it so difficult for me to adhere to this? I think a lot of us feel the pressure to work hard in order to get you want in life. But that doesn’t always mean pushing yourself to the point of stress. The term “Do less, achieve more” is extremely foreign to me BUT it does ring true in certain situations. This doesn’t mean that “laziness” = achieving your goals; doing less implies letting go of control of certain circumstances and allowing what is meant to be to take shape through small, right actions.
Dedicate time for yourself
Making sure to set time aside each week dedicated solely to relaxing is a new task for me, but it’s absolutely necessary for the big picture. I recently started prep for a bodybuilding competition, and now more than ever I need to focus on those rest days. My ideal goal is to organize my weeks so that 1 day per week I’m not training in the gym or doing cardio. This helps my mind to relax, and gives me a “free” day to look forward to. It doesn’t always work out, but it at least helps me balance my endless tasks with finding joy in things that make me happy (like extra sleep!).
If you struggle to decompress like me, try to physically write out “relax” in an agenda, calendar or your phone and treat it like a business meeting. Show up for yourself and dedicate that time to do something that you love. This time will only make you better for your goals, your loved ones and will allow your body and mind to come back stronger the next day!