It is so common for us to get caught up in the grind of work, responsibilities, and ongoing stressors that we often only find ourselves resting during holidays or vacations. The importance of prioritizing rest in your daily life is equally as important as your mental, physical, and emotional health.
Dr. Gray and her team are focusing on the importance of daily rest and benefits of sleep as part of their getting back to the basics 2022 series.
The Glorification of Being Busy
It’s common to praise those who are constantly on the run and have a busy schedule, because they can be seen as more impressive, more productive, and more accomplished. What we don’t see is that these individuals who don’t allow themselves to rest can be suffering from physical and mental health issues including headaches, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, and more.
Rest can look different for everyone. For some, it could be taking ten minutes out of your day to sit down and focus on your breathing or taking a nap, while others may prefer active rest like going for a walk and getting fresh air. Regardless of what rest looks like to you, it is not selfish to take time out of your day to focus on rest.
Recharging
While the idea of taking time out of a busy schedule may seem overwhelming, it’s important to keep in mind that in order to be sustainable in your daily life, you need to start small. Finding slow ways to add in these practices will allow you to become more consistent, and over time, allow you to build from there creating a daily schedule that can benefit you in many ways.
Some benefits of daily rest include:
- Improves performance and productivity
- Allows time for recovery
- Prevents muscle fatigue
- Reduces risk of injury
- Promotes healthy sleep
Daily rest and the ability to recharge your body and your mind is important to get ahead of before it’s too late. Pushing your body and mind through feelings of exhaustion can lead to feeling burnout. Once you reach the point of burnout, it can affect your daily life and physical and mental wellbeing.
Some of the most effective ways to prevent burnout begin with recharging your body and your mind. Focusing on things like improving your diet, getting into an exercise routine, meditation – or focusing on taking a few deep breaths – taking a break from technology, and prioritizing a sleep schedule are a few tips that you can implement in your daily routine to prevent feelings of burnout.
Importance of Sleep
In addition to daily rest and relaxation, it’s also important to prioritize your sleep. Sleep is essential to every process in the body and affects our physical and mental functioning, our ability to fight diseases, and our metabolism. Getting a good night’s sleep is just as important for your health as eating a nutritious diet and exercising.
Similar to daily rest, other benefits of prioritizing sleep include:
- Improvement in concentration, productivity, and performance
- Healthy heart
- Healthy immune system
- Positive effect on emotions and social interactions
We’ve all experienced how one night of poor sleep can dramatically affect the next day. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with many negative health effects, including: increased risk of heart disease, depression, weight gain, and inflammation.
How To Prioritize Daily Rest & Sleep?
The best way to start is finding a technique that works best for you. In order to make a sustainable change to your daily routine, it’s important not to overwhelm yourself by trying to change too many habits at once. Finding small ways to include rest into your daily routine and building from there will help you become more consistent. Becoming more consistent will not only make a lasting change, but will also significantly reduce your stress levels and improve your mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Did you miss last month’s blog that focused on the importance of mental health and wellbeing? Check it out here!