There was this post making the rounds on FB that says “Take a break. Take a vacation from your vacation. Don’t make progress on your goals. Become your couch.” or something like that.
I hate it.
I don’t like being told to take a break. I don’t like being told I have to rest.
Especially when I’ve already been taking a break and taking a rest.
But it’s more than that.
I don’t like the message is that if you rest you are a lump on the couch and that’s the only thing you do. That that’s the only way to get rest. And that when you rest you are completely neglecting your goals and the things you actually want to do.
That’s not what rest means to me – rest means I take care of myself.
That’s also not what it looks like for me. When I want to be a lump on the couch, I still have to take care of my kids most of the time. l have to get up to get snacks or help someone go to the bathroom. Or I’m napping to some kids show that I don’t even want to watch.
I have had plenty of rest and taken plenty of breaks over the holiday season. And I made progress on my goals.
I decluttered and cleaned out the mud room. The whole family worked to declutter and clean the basement. My youngest two cleaned windows and surfaces in the living room. My husband swept floors.
I wanted to eat pastry cream, so I made it. I baked a cake and made pastry cream to go with that. I did watch a lot of the Great British Baking Show while I was resting, that may have had something to do with it too.
The point is, society sends us these messages about what rest looks like that just aren’t realistic. It’s not all or nothing. You don’t have to sacrifice what you want to get rest. You don’t have to only rest to get rest. The rest is either a reward for the progress or what allows me to make the progress. Sometimes both.
Rest looks like going to bed right after you put the kids to bed. Having a night of uninterrupted sleep. Sometimes it looks like laying on the couch and telling your kids to get their own snacks. Maybe it’s popcorn movie night or leftovers for dinner so you have time to sit on the couch and snuggle.
I don’t know what it looks like for you, I can only give you examples of what it looks like for me.
I just want you to know that you can rest without letting everything else fall apart.
Best,
Rachel
P.S. If you want to actually rest instead of just running through your to-do list while you mindlessly watch a show (or if you need to figure out how to fit rest in), I’m here for you. I’ll tell you how to rest without just letting all the to-dos pile up. Click here to schedule a time to talk.
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