Lately, I’ve been really tired. I jump from one project to the next, exhausting myself, and never taking a break from working. While all of these projects bring me joy, the fewer hours of sleep and rest bring me to exhaustion tears and admittedly less interesting work. I finally accepted that I couldn’t keep working the same way I have been. I needed to be still.
Resting doesn’t necessarily mean sleep to me; it means giving myself time to quiet my mind and not stress about any deadlines or projects or actions I should take. A few ways I like to rest include:
- Read the next book on your reading list in bed with a hot cup of tea. I finally started reading Essentialism
this week after having it on my ‘must-read’ list for months. (If you read on your iPad like me, I suggest turning off notifications and wifi during your reading session too. It’s so easy to double tap the home button, and next thing you know you’re on Pinterest — ha!)
- Plan a date for you and a person you love to go enjoy a nice cup of coffee together and make it a rule keep iPhones off the table. It is one of my favorite things to sit and talk about life, ideas, or pie in the sky dreams with someone I love. I always feel refreshed and excited even after an hour.
- Find a print magazine that discusses topics in which you’re interested. The stories found in these magazines can be so similar to the ones in your RSS reader, but I find that there is an irreplaceable beauty in printed type and photos. A few of my go-to print magazines include Anthology, Darling, and most recently, Uncrate (which is a men’s magazine, but gosh the photos and design are just fantastic).
- If you’d love to do any of these, but realistically find yourself short on time, never underestimate the power of a 20-minute nap. Its hard to make yourself get back up, but I promise you’ll feel refreshed.
- This year I’ve also been practicing mediation on and off before I go to bed. Instead of worrying about what needs to be done tomorrow, or what didn’t get accomplished today, I’m focusing on my breath, quieting my mind, and relaxing my body. It has helped me fall asleep a lot faster than when I was making mental to-do lists before bed. (I use the app Headspace to guide me!)
If you’re feeling a little scattered and exhausted like I have been, I hope you can be honest with yourself and seek the rest you need.
Please, download and enjoy this wallpaper I made to remind you.
Instructions to download:
- Click the link.
- Save the image.
- Find the image in your photo library.
- Set it to be your desktop image.
p.s. here are more inspirational downloads by me!
photography and styling by Bruce Layman and Colore’ Grace.
