Rest Matters - Make it Happen

Rest tend to feel like a guilty pleasure for many of us. Especially if you're a parent or have a very demanding job, your time never really feels like your own. So taking time to be still and quiet is usually a luxury we don't afford ourselves.

But just like our diet, our vitamins, and the amount of water we drink, rest is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle for all around wellbeing.

There are two pieces to the rest puzzle: your nightly sleep, and your mental quiet time when you're awake. They are both incredibly important, and both get short-changed often.

Sleep

We've all heard the age-old mantra about 8 hours of sleep, and the scientists are sticking by that. They say that adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Not just on the weekends, and not just when there's nothing left on Netflix. Every night. Without this sleep your health suffers, your body doesn't have time to rebound from the daily grind, and your mental wellbeing can also suffer.

Rest

Downtime, a break, quiet time, whatever you call it, turning off all of the inputs and taking a step away from the demands of life is incredibly important. Whether you start or end your day with it, or if you find a chunk of time mid-day, stopping to refocus is healthy.

This doesn't mean finding a quiet time to scroll through Facebook or LinkedIn. Quiet means turning off all of the inputs and being intentional about letting your mind and body be still.

Finding time for rest can be extremely difficult. But if you're committed to your overall wellbeing, it's a must.