Summer is starting to knock on the door, a time of holiday, rest and relaxation. Or at least it should be. However, how many of us remember an occasion when a holiday turned into a nightmare rather than being the period of peace and tranquillity that we hoped for? It is, however, possible to prevent this and ensure that we rejuvenate during our time off. You can read more about it here. That said, rest and relaxation shouldn’t be only reserved for holidays. We need to give our body and mind time to relax every day. How else are we supposed to function and complete our daily tasks?
Read also ‘5 Simple Mindful Tips to Make Your Travel Truly Enjoyable‘
The importance of resting your body and mind
Now you probably ask, how am I supposed to complete my daily tasks when you are encouraging me to relax? However, our body and mind need to relax in order to be able to perform our daily tasks. Our brains use energy to operate and not resting will leave us mentally exhausted. And I am sure most of us have at some stage experienced what happens when we don’t let our bodies rest. Accidents can happen and these can lead to serious injuries. But the same happens when we don’t give our minds enough rest. We get stressed, overworked and burned out which can also lead to accidents and injuries.
And statistics show that burnout has been on the rise worldwide in the last couple of years. Almost daily we can hear or read about burnout and its consequences. So, when Caitlin Lagnese, a mental health and wellness blogger and founder of the ReelChat blog, asked if I would like to share some thoughts with her readers, it immediately occurred to me to focus on this issue. And as Caitlin is a passionate supporter of wellness, I knew that she would feel the same way about the importance of rest and relaxation for our body and mind. Caitlin has also had to deal with mental health problems herself, and I am very grateful that she shared her story on PTSD: My Story Project. You can read her story here.
Read also ‘Proven Benefit of Being in Nature on Our Wellbeing‘
Relax your body and mind without feeling guilty
Unfortunately, these days it seems like we measure prestige by how busy we are. As a result, we often forget that our body and mind need regular rest in order to function properly. Therefore, I wanted to share my tips on how to relax your body and mind without feeling guilty about it. Because yes, we do often feel guilty about relaxing, thinking it’s something we can’t afford in our busy lives. That the world wouldn’t function without us? However, the world will not collapse just because we treat ourselves to a few minutes of rest each day. Our bodies and minds, on the other hand, can collapse if we don’t afford them the rest they require.
On the ReelChat blog, I shared four quick and simple techniques that can help you to relax whenever you feel that you need to give your body or mind a boost. Because yes, as mentioned earlier, rest is productive. So sit down, treat yourself to a break and discover how to destress effectively and recharge your battery within a few minutes. This can be done from the comfort of your home or even within the work environment. And these few minutes of rest will help you to get through your busy day.
Read how to relax your body and mind without feeling guilty here.
Read also ‘Powerful Self Care Tips for PTSD From Trauma Survivors‘
How can rest and relaxation support your mental health
Relaxation, along with breathing exercises, is also a great healing tool. The combination of these can not only aid our mental recovery but also help those suffering from chronic pain. And did you know that relaxing before bedtime will actually help you to sleep better? Relaxation is therefore a great tool for our mental well-being. I write more about it in my e-book 7 Keys To Self-Healing, A Trauma Survivor’s Guide, that you can download free here.
Thank you and till the next blog post,
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Getting relaxed is the most without feeling guilty is the most difficult task nowadays. You elaborate very well in the post on how to relax and be healthy. Thanks for the tips.
This was a great reminder and exactly what I needed to read; I have to work through feeling more comfortable resting and doing things that help my overall well-being. Thanks for this!
Burnout has been the main deflector as I embark on my entrepreneurial journey. This is why I am now prioritizing taking some time to rest, regardless of the work I still need to do. It is not easy, by no means. But I appreciate the tips and advice shared in this post. It is important to know that I don’t have to feel guilty for taking needed time for myself.
This post resonated with me so much. I’ve been working hard to deconstruct the downtime guilt and the need to “feel busy” all the time as I make a midlife career change. It’s so tough but so necessary.
I need this in my life! I feel guilty at times taking time away for myself and yet it is so needed. Thank you for writing this! The Reelchat blog is fantastic too!
This is just what I needed! Sometimes when I decide to take a rest, I feel guilty about it, like I’m supposed to be busy doing something. Thanks for sharing this post! It was really helpful.
So important to prioritize rest. Thanks for the reminder and tips!
These are great ideas!
I love this article and completely agree with you about the importance of resting your mind and body. I have a stressful job as a social worker and spend 30 minutes every night relaxing with guided meditation!
So true that there is this “badge of honor” that comes with being busy all the time. It’s not good for us and people really need to learn to slow down and relax.
i need more of this
I am awful to myself. I always struggle to relax without feeling guilty or like I should be doing something else, especially when I’m stressed and on edge about something. At the moment I struggle to leave my writing and my blog alone. I’m scared if I stop it’ll all fall apart.
Nyxie, thank you for sharing! We often think that things will fall apart if we leave them so, that the world can’t exist without us. The truth, however, is that if we don’t leave it so, if we don’t take a break, we may fall apart and this will definitely not make things easier. That’s why it is so important to see things from the other perspective as well. After all, we are not human doings but human beings. Have a restful day!
Thanks for reminding me of the benefits of relaxing without feeling guilty in a world where one always feels like a suspect lol.
Great article! Very important to relax. Stress impacts our entire being and if we can’t relax, then we won’t be able to function.
I love a good relaxing day! That’s become my Sunday’s with yoga, meditation, and a bath.
i need to relax more
This is a nice reflection of why it’s important to slow down and relax. Lately, I feel like I should always be doing something. I’m going to start giving myself permission to rest more.
This is a really insightful article and I really enjoyed reading through it. There is much to learn about being able to relax and not feel guilty about it
This post is amazing, we should relax without feeling guilty is a great experience. I like your posts because of this reason only.
This is a great post! I’ve been trying to find ways to relax my body and mind for a while now and this is a great way to start.
Awesome post, and thanks for the great tips, we shouldn’t but do feel guilty when taking time for ourselves at time.