I’m 31 now, and I’ve gained a completely new attitude and perspective on resting. Prior to jumping into my third decade alive, before I became a mama of three rascals, I leaned on food, TV and naps to “rest.” I’d use up all my energy at the gym, at work and out on the town with friends. I thought I was “tired.” Fast forward to real “adulting,” and I didn’t have a clue what tired was.
Tired is pure exhaustion from waiting on hold while taking your kids to the library and losing one of them in a book aisle. You can’t hang up because you’ve been waiting 45 minutes already, so you’re hunting for your child with Mozart playing in your pocket. Tired is being up with a sick child all night, then jumping on a conference call with executive clients and talking professional for 2 hours, then putting away loads of laundry while updating your LinkedIn status.
Resting and tired become completely different as you mature and evolve, even if you aren’t quite 30 or much farther along. I’ve learned to revise what resting is.
Revising how you rest, as life revises who you are, is essential to keeping up with the demands. Resting is redefined to quietness, writing, photography and creative outlets for me. It’s no longer a Netflix binge and closer to a soul-searching, journal session and a nap.Finding true peace, and rejuvenating your mind, soul and body takes as much discovery as finding your passion. As you age, you develop new tastes for soul-satisfying experiences, which are essential to taste and test.
As you find yourself stepping into a new phase of life, I encourage you to walk into a new place of rest. Pursue different creative activities, or come back to ones you used to enjoy. Its astonishing the sense of peace that comes from a truly restful experience, where your mind is engaged, yet relaxed. You are challenged and learning, yet regaining energy to keep up with everything that is pulling you in different directions. Being stuck in a frenzy of going here, being there and accomplishing all sorts of great things, can leave you drained. Think of uncovering a new sense of rest as your new challenge or task. Put it on the list, because the reason you may be feeling like a hamster on a hamster wheel is because you think you are getting enough “rest” with your 6 hours of sleep and favorite TV show, but your actual needs deep inside have switched gears, but your habits aren’t shifting. Maybe you need more sleep. A nap when you can and a good book to infuse your mind with new thoughts. Its a process to learn what rest truly is, and what it means for you, but its worth the discovery and evolution as we enter new phases in our lives.
Originally published at medium.com