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I dont know about you, but lately I have been feeling exhausted.
Design by Channing Smith
Not just mentally, but my God, physically as well.
With nothing left to lose, I set about seeing if she was right.
Turns out I havent even got that right.
I started by addressing what Dr. Dalton-Smith describes as passive physical rest: sleeping and napping.
Despite working for myself, Im still very much stuck in the mindset of savoring my evenings.
It doesnt take a genius to guess I felt better for it.
But my favorite result was that my new bedtime meant I naturally woke up earlier.
However, I couldnt stick to it.
So while I havent stuck to 10 p.m. every night, I also havent seen midnight since.
Thinkflexibility stretches, yoga, Pilates, massageanything that gets your circulation and mobility going.
I may be 36, but I was feeling more like 86.
If I sat too long, I almost creaked getting up.
My calf muscles were so tight that walking downstairs in the morning made me wince.
That lower back ache wasnt going anywhere either.
But I also felt like I could literally feel the tension leaving my body.
Mental Rest
With a quieter body, I turned to my very loud mind.
As someone onmedication for anxiety, I find I could do with mental rest more than anything.
Sadly, Dr. Dalton-Smiths approach just didnt work for me.
Should I use the time to do something else, or am I meant to do nothing?
Should I tryand inevitably failto do a breathing session and downloada meditation app?
Why does my rest break leave me with more thoughts than if I was working?
The diary idea, however, I could appreciate, as its something I learnt in therapy myself.
But overall, mental rest was unfortunately a fail.
Sensory Rest
If mental rest was a failure, sensory rest was a disaster.
Of course, sensory rest is all about our screen time and our always online 24/7 lives.
Plus, one missed call and a voicemail from the dentist.
Not to mention, multiscreening is what keeps me company throughout the day.
Creative Rest
Thankfully, things started to turn around again with creative rest.
My only nitpick with this one is that its very open to interpretation.
Mine was to finally frame and hang some pictures that Id had under my bed for years.
Im also lucky that my home is located in some beautiful grounds with loads of nature.
Like a lot of you, I put the needs and wants of everyone before myself.
A spark that I hope will ignite an inferno.
I started by saying no to work and social invites I didnt want to go to.
I dont drink, so no, I dont really want to attend that party.
And no, I dont want to meet up for a coffee when we caught up only last month.
However, the biggest breakthough with emotional rest was when I messaged a friend who had upset me.
As an inherent people pleaser, I would never have done this before, but I felt betrayed.
Immediately my friend phoned me and apologized, and I felt a weight off my shoulders for being heard.
Oh, its the sound of a breakthrough.
But recently Id slowly started filling my calendar back up.
Spiritual Rest
Dr. Dalton-Smiths final step involves engaging in something greater than yourself, be it prayer or meditation.
(Look, Im sorry, but does anyone really manage to quieten their mind?)
For me, these minor moments of human connection are far greater than 15 minutes of silence.
This post was originally published inGlamourUK.
