Deep Rest
Let’s explore the idea of deep rest and the importance of truly taking time away from work to care for your own wellbeing. We invite you to step away from the hustle and hurry to get some rest, relaxation, and recharging.
HOW TO UNPLUG FROM WORK
When we take vacation or holiday time-off, we may be tempted to sneak in some work during any downtime. While answering a few emails can seem harmless, this doesn't allow our brains time to decompress from work and can lead to unhealthy rumination and perseverative thinking about work. Ruminating on work-related thoughts during your leisure time has been associated with chronic stress and other wellbeing issues.
When we truly allow ourselves to take a break and time to rest from work, we can avoid ruminating on work-related issues and find true deep rest. Studies show that after taking a vacation, employees feel happier, experience a boost in creativity, and report higher levels of productivity.
Consider how you can prevent rumination during your time off and find your way to deep rest.
HERE ARE A FEW WAYS TO PREVENT RUMINATION ON WORK THOUGHTS:
TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS
It can be tempting to respond to a quick email when it pops up on your phone, but one email may lead to several more disrupting your rest time. Set your out-of-office replies on and your phone notifications off for email and other work communication channels.
PUT WORK TRIGGERS OUT OF SIGHT
Now that many of us have home offices, it may feel harder to transition out of "work mode" and into a rest time. Pack up your physical workspace - including your monitors, keyboards, etc. and place them out of sight. This can eliminate triggers that lead us to thinking about work.
MAKE SMALL CHANGES TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Create an environment that feels different by adding things like wall art, a fresh candle, or bright new pillow. You can even try rearranging your space. These small changes will help shift your perspective out of work mode, making it easier to transition into deep rest.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WILL DO, INSTEAD OF WHAT YOU WILL NOT DO
It can be easy to ruminate on the thoughts of what we will not be doing during any given day of rest. When you sense those thoughts arising, write down one thing you will be doing during your time off to move your thoughts towards things you will be accomplishing outside of work.
“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.” - MAYA ANGELOU
R&R: SLOW STAYCATION
Consider taking a staycation to avoid the stress of traveling and focus on getting deep rest for yourself this holiday. Use the ideas below to get started and plan your own relaxation-cation.
Morning
Try starting your morning slowly, maybe you listen to a meditation, try out restorative yoga, or turn off your alarm to catch some extra ZZZZs. This can help you ease into your day of rest more gently.
MIDDAY
Take a stroll outside and consider leaving your phone at home or turning off notifications. Taking a journal with you to do some writing or reading could be a great way to slow down during this time.
EVENING
Order your favorite takeout, or cook a comforting meal and put on a good movie. Create a cozy atmosphere by lighting a seasonal candle and turning on the real (or faux) fireplace and settling into intentional rest time.
Check out the best ways to prioritize your wellness everyday with our wellness workshops.
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