Downtime (Rest and Restore)

I’ll be the first to admit that I lack the will power to be at a standstill for an extended period of time. Life is very busy and hectic at times. I’m a wife, a mother of 3 and I work full time. There is always something to do during the week with balancing work, school, household duties and extra-circular activities. Most days are 18-hour days with a minimum amount of sleep. I’ve always been the type of individual that doesn’t require much sleep so 5-6 hours a day works well. However, there are days where I am physically and emotionally drained with the day to day activities. A lot of times we focus so much on completing tasks and taking care of our families that we neglect ourselves by not getting the proper rest to restore our mind and body. It is imperative to take a step back to prioritize our own self-care. A fresh and well rested mind inspires you to want to accomplish even more which will only end up being beneficial. Just like we make the time to catch up on the latest news via social media we should allocate the time to get in tune with ourselves. Think about a time where you were agitated and bothered by the slightest things. Lack of rest and restoration influences our mood and energy. The next time you wake up in the morning, instead of grabbing your phone, take 10 minutes to relax in complete silence before starting your day. At the end of the day dedicate at least 15-20 minutes to decompress from all the events of the day. My goal is to accomplish this at least once a day but honestly most days I fail with being consistent. I am continuously a work in progress when it comes to taking the time out for myself. One of my goals for the new year is having ME time at least once a month. Remember that our families depend on us but in order for us to be healthy and fully available we must take care of ourselves first.