5 Tips to Make Sure You are Prioritizing Rest in Your Life | Why we Need to Stop Treating Rest Like it's Something that is Optional

Can I be honest? I can really suck at resting. 

Maybe that sounds a little weird while we’re in the midst of a pandemic that has limited a lot of the things we can actually do. Even before this time though it’s been something I’ve been working on for a while. Sitting still is tough for me. And when I do, my inner critic eats me alive for not checking off the 5 other things I had on my to-do list for the day. Dang, my inner critic can be a pain in my booty! Enneagram 1 problems.

Here’s the thing though, rest shouldn’t be something that’s looked at like it’s optional. It’s not something we should feel bad or guilty about. Yet, in a world of all of the hustle and bustle and doing more, it’s something that has been advertised as a luxury and not a necessity.

Let me remind you that that’s crap! We ALL need rest. It may look different for each of us, and even different during different chapters but we ALL need it. Rest and time doing a whole lotta nada is what actually fuels us the rest of the time. So don’t forget to make time for it.

I’m definitely a work in progress (aren’t we all) but there are a few things that have helped me that I wanted to share in case they can help you too.

Scheduling time for Rest

Okay, maybe this sounds weird at first. You’re telling me I need to schedule my rest time?! While it might not be for everyone, putting days in my calendar has been really helpful for me. Things are a little different right now because there’s a lot we can’t do. Even still, what I do is plan out “Anna Days” on my calendar which are days I make no other plans and prioritize downtime. This is something small, (I started with just one day a month) but I swear just having them in my calendar gives me ease knowing I have some downtime set aside.

I understand most people don’t have this option, but this summer we went from working half-days on Fridays to taking the full day off at Bold & Pop and that has been amazing too. Typically I use the day to work on my blog and Get Your Goals program, but I also set aside time to recharge. Sleep in a little later, get a workout in and take a long walk with Benji. Even if you’re not a business owner though, maybe you should consider taking a random day off here or there. Truth be told, Americans are notorious for not using vacation days so if you have PTO consider putting in a day here or there just dedicated to rest! So many of us only take days off when we have actual plans, but mental health days can be really impactful too. As a biz owner, I’m super jelly of people with PTO too so make use of that!

No matter which route you go with, another thing to consider is that this scheduled time doesn’t even have to be a full day either. You can also just set aside a block of time for recharging activities throughout your day. It’s definitely something I also do! Like I mentioned, rest means different things to each of us and we all need different amounts. It’s up to you to figure out what you need and then try and put it on your calendar so you make sure you prioritize it. I’ve found it’s a lot easier to plan ahead and work around that schedule than just winging it and trying to fit it in where you can.

Saying No More

This one has been toughhh for me because my gut reaction is to say yes to things, especially when we’re not in quarantine. Sometimes the key to making sure you’re getting enough rest though is to say no to some activities. I’m introverted by nature and while I fricking LOVEEE spending time with my people it can really drain my energy levels. Plus, if I have a drained battery I know I’m not going to be my best self during that time.

A way I’ve combated that is prioritizing the things I say yes to. Last summer, I started by trying to only plan one big activity each weekend. There were some times where we had back-to-back things (between my fam, Evan’s multiple fams and our friends, things can get busy!) but for the most part I really tried to stick to this and it really helped. Instead of looking at my calendar and feeling dread for how exhausted I’d be after it helped me feel like I had more room to breathe. Now don’t get it wrong, I never dreaded the activities, again, love my peeps! I just knew back-to-back events and places to be was going to leave me tired AF come the end of the weekend.

Some people won’t get it, hey Mom, I’m talking to you 😜. She’s never really understood my methods on this but the key is to figure out what works best for you! Like I said, we’re all different but when we actually listen to our needs, life is a lot more enjoyable!

Turning off Social Media Notifications

Talk about being on 24/7… social media man. I love it and I also work in the industry but heck can it be draining. Something I did was turn off the push notifications on my social media accounts. I still spend more time than I’d like on the apps in my downtime, but by turning these off I’m not constantly flipping back and forth between accounts every time I get a notification. It turns out all of those notifications will be there when you hop on again. Our brains have become so conditioned to react to notifications almost immediately and turning these off can really benefit you when you’re trying to have unplugged time.

Going to Bed Earlier

Personally, I know if I don’t get enough sleep my mornings aren’t going to go smooth. Now that I’ve started my morning workouts with a bright and early wake-up alarm of 5:30 am, this has become more important for me. Because trust me, if I’m tired in the morning, then I’m not going to get out of bed for that workout and then I can say goodbye to my whole routine.

I used to be such a night owl, and left to my own devices I’ll still stay up late into the night. Why is it that looking up unnecessary things or going down rabbit holes always happens when you’re supposed to be getting ready to go to sleep?! The struggle is real! To combat this, I’ve actually set a bedtime for myself to get into bed. I might not necessarily go right to sleep but it’s when I start my bedtime routine and put down my phone (at least I try to!) By doing this, I prevent more of those late nighttime sucks that inevitably mess up my mornings. I’ve also found trading my phone for my Kindle helps me actually go to sleep a whole lot faster too.

Audit on Draining and Recharging Activities

Another thing that is so important is to do an actual personal audit on the activities that recharge you vs drain you. Sometimes these will even change based on your mood but I think actually consciously realizing what brings you back to life vs put you in a more tired state is important. Is that listening to podcasts or music? Watching Netflix or reading a book? or maybe it’s just sitting in the backyard or laying out at a park? The key here is to sit down with your thoughts and do a little self-awareness work so you can make the most of your downtime.

I hope you guys have found these tips helpful! If you have others be sure to drop them in the comments or hit me up on Instagram too. The key is getting the point across on how important rest is and remind you that you can still be a goal-chasing, productive badass and make time for it.