This image showed up in my Instagram feed recently from author and trauma therapist, Aundi Kolber. (By the way, I highly recommend her book, “Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us Out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode-and into a Life of Connection and Joy”).
In her post, which you can see here, she says, “I’m going to take my own advice, sign off, + do what I can to rest well”.
Over the weekend, I had the great surprise of getting super duper sick. Not. Fun. At. All. This year I’ve had a couple of doozies and this was one of them.
Thanks to the wonders of telemedicine and medicine, I finally experienced the deep healing rest I needed to get back on my feet.
But good grief, it was hard! It was hard to allow myself the gift of rest and healing. I felt this need to get back on my feet, get stuff done, tackle my to-do list, and get back to my inbox so that I did not fall too behind in the work I had planned for my clients.
Yes, we need to be responsible, fulfill our commitments, and do good work.
BUT.
We also need to listen to the cries of our bodies and minds and honor that request for rest and healing. How often do we ignore those cries and just keep pushing through? Too often.
- Deep, focused work needs deep rest and recovery.
- Long days of mental or physical work means we need deep healing sleep and mental rejuvenation.
- Exercising needs rest and recovery days.
- Introverts spending a lot of time in an extroverted world needs time to retreat and recharge.
- Lots of video calls during the day often mean we need no screen time in the evening.
- Being inside for days on end means we need intentional breaks to spend some quality time outside.
- Getting really sick needs getting really rested.
- Eat too much turkey?? You probably need a nap!
Are you paying attention to the signals your body is giving you or are you pushing through to get one more thing crossed off of your to-do list?
What is the cost of pushing through and not getting the rest you need?
Marta Goertzen is an entrepreneur, writer, WordPress Website developer, and nature photographer. She daily explores the trails and beaches of the South Central Oregon Coast with her dogs Oliver & Mochi. You can follow along on their adventures on Instagram. Marta also fully believes that change starts with gratitude and that gratitude can change everything. Find out how with the “Grateful Friday 7-Days of Gratitude Starter Kit”