TL;DR:
- Consider what rest looks like for you; what do you consider relaxing?
- Be proactive with setting aside time for rest every day.
- Rest with intention by reconnecting from within, embracing your inner joy, simplifying your priorities, and trust in the timing.
Whenever I heard the word rest, I immediately always felt jealous. An immediate “that must be nice” thought would always cross my mind. And to be honest, it really came down to my jealousy of everyone around me who was resting, and yet I was always working. I always seemed to have that extra thing on my to-do list that I didn’t think anyone else had.
What I came to find out and learn over time is that everyone that I saw resting still had things on their to-do list. They still had things to get done. And yet they still knew how to prioritize rest each day. And as I made this connection, I remember saying out loud, “I want that!” I want to learn to leave the to-do list behind and rest with intention every single day.
And So I Did!
I learned how to rest with intention every day, without guilt, without shame, and instead with all the trust in the decision I was making at that time.
The first step I took was redefining what rest meant for me. Prior to this newfound excitement over resting, I had a very narrow-minded perspective of what rest meant. To be transparent, rest for me used to mean lying in bed, watching TV, and scrolling social media on my phone for hours on end. And to continue the transparency, that is still one of the definitions of resting that I live by today!
So What Was the Difference?
The difference is in the past, resting was reactive. Resting was something I allowed myself to earn after doing all the things on my to-do list. It also was one of the best procrastination and avoidance tactics I knew. None of these served me to be my best self, or bring my best self into each and every day.
When I look at rest now, it’s proactive. It’s something I do to set myself up for success every day. And it’s no longer something to earn. It’s non-contingent. I rest with intention, every single day.
When I rest with intention, I make sure to:
R: Reconnect from within.
E: Embrace my inner joy.
S: Simplify my priorities.
T: Trust in the timing.
Reconnect from Within
It can be so easy to lose sight of our values. As educators, we are genuine service-oriented souls. And with all the service pointed to others, it can be easy to lose sight and lose connection with who we are. When we are resting, we are using that time with purpose. With intentionality. To reconnect to who we are from within, so we can continue to serve those around us every day.
Embrace Your Inner Joy
This is an opportunity to redefine what activities are restful for YOU! Sometimes restful activities are relaxing. Other times they are energizing. The best part is YOU get to decide! And when deciding, YOU get to find your inner joy and allow that to guide your decisions!
Simplify Your Priorities
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the things to do, it’s not about finding more time to do them. It’s about doing less in the time YOU have, so you can experience more joyful rest when YOU choose to rest. Simplify, simplify, simplify! By doing that, you automatically gain more time for YOU!
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Trust in the Timing
Trust that when your body is ready for rest, it’s ready for rest. There is no prerequisite to “earn” rest time. YOU get to rest when YOU desire rest. It’s as simple as that!
Trust in the moments YOU are resting, as these moments allow for YOU to serve yourself so you can continue to serve others. Start with 3-5 minutes and build up from there. Resting daily with intention is now a standard I live by every single day. I no longer wonder “when will I rest again?” because I know it will happen tomorrow! YOU get to rest with intention every day. And sometimes all it takes is redefining what rest means for YOU!
See the full blog series here!
About Lindsay Titus
Lindsay Titus is a K-12 Behavior Specialist with a license in behavior analyst. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Lindsay coaches and trains educators on the study of behavior and how to implement evidence based behavior principles in simple and easy ways! With experience as a classroom special education teacher, and behavior specialist in public schools, residential placement, and private settings, Lindsay enjoys working with all educators looking to reignite their passion for education, connect with all students, and conquer challenging behavior in any classroom setting.
