Sometimes slowing down isn’t enough… and what to do instead
We welcomed the official start of summer today and the peak of long daylight hours.
I've found myself waking up extra early the last couple of weeks as though my body is syncing itself up to the early sunrise. I always have a lot of energy at this time of year and try to take advantage of it as I know the opposite will be true in six months when we are near the winter solstice. Even I have to admit that I can tend to overdo it right now and run the risk of experiencing what I call summer burnout, not giving myself enough time to rest.
As I look ahead to some upcoming long weekends (like this one) and vacation days, I want to be intentional about balancing my ability to do more and having increased energy with my body and brain's need to get enough rest.
When choosing activities I'm continuing to remind myself that there is a difference between slowing down and resting.
I witnessed the perfect example of this yesterday when sitting poolside with a friend. To anyone else, it looked like we were doing the exact same thing- reclining on lounge chairs. But what was going on in each of our bodies and brains was completely different based on what we were doing while we sat there.
When we weren't conversing, I was reading a book, meeting the people around me or hanging out in the water looking at the sky and audibly sighing an exhale of gratitude for the perfect weather we were having after so many days of clouds and rain.
My friend's choice of activities included making phone calls, listening to a political podcast, responding to emails and swimming a random lap in the pool.
Neither choice of activities is right or wrong. And it's possible we needed different things in that moment.
While we both were choosing to slow down with our physical bodies, my friend's brain was still in performance mode.
Simply slowing down with our body doesn't always mean that we're allowing our brain to rest too.
If you're feeling tired or stressed and like you need to relax, consider this question:
Are you choosing activities that are letting both your body and brain get the rest they need? Or are you simply slowing down physically?
(like sitting in front of the tv while folding laundry, checking notifications and organizing your to do list).
When we let our brain rest our body will naturally feel more relaxed and at ease. That's certainly one of my goals for the summer!
If you decide to try it I would love to hear how it goes for you!
