I talk a lot about sleep. Sleep is a foundational part of our health and so important. While rest is different from sleep, it’s just as essential if you want to perform at your best and have less mental angst.
Here are just a few ways to decrease mental stress and allow you to rest, reset and recharge:
- Get organized. Structure your day, week or month so you don’t expend mental energy wondering what to do or trying to figure out what comes next in your schedule.
- Pray or meditate. Praying and meditation gives your mind a break from external stimuli and acts as a sort of mental reset.
- Take a vacation. Even if it’s only a 3 or 4 day long weekend, getting away from home and work for a few days will decrease your mental stress, and you’ll actually be more productive in the long run.
- Talk it out. Whether it’s with a therapist, coach, or someone else you trust, talking is a good way to be completely honest emotionally, which will provide a sense of relief and help you sort out how you really feel about things in your life.
- Time with close friends. Make time to be around the people you love and who know you best. If you can be your authentic awesome self with them, you’ll come away emotionally recharged.
- Time alone. This is not a selfish act; if need be you should schedule some solitude into your life. Time alone gives you a chance to disconnect from other people’s expectations and sort through your emotions. Spending time alone has many physical and psychological benefits. It gives a person the chance to clear their mind, focus and think more clearly. This can be an enriching experience, but too much time in isolation can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health.
- Digital detox. Setting aside each day to ‘unplug’ from technology and step away from Social Media can be a good thing, This act can reduce distractions and contribute to productivity.
Recovery is about more than just physical rest. Incorporating multiple types of recovery into your life will help you become a stronger, smarter, more effective human, especially long-term.