Rest and Recovery

13/11/18

Being busy teaches you the importance of rest. Now I don’t know the last time I had a complete day to do nothing; no meal prep, no training, no seeing friends, no walking dogs just complete switching off time.

Not everyone has the luxury of long periods of rest fitting in with their goals and aims.

Just a photo of me one of the last times I made time to rest and recover. And dogs. Because who doesn’t love dogs.

I’ve committed to running a department, in terms of my career development, have a wonderful dog that deserves some time and attention and requires training, a goal of bodybuilding to further my training and mental wellbeing as well as studying to be a PT to better understand the world of fitness and as a future possible career route.

This doesn’t leave much time for my friends, family or let alone me.

So what I end up doing is multitasking. On journeys I listen to music, nap or revise and when I’m meal prepping I can be listening to music, watching a programme or on the phone to a friend. As I live with my family, it’s hard to have the kitchen to myself so I love cooking when no one is around, so I can take my time. This means it’s a lot of late nights but I don’t mind as this normally coincides with my work pattern.

I also sometimes watch short programmes like Friends, Brooklyn nine-nine or How I met your mother when doing my make up or getting ready for work.

However, this means my Sunday evenings are holy to me. I will hardly ever arrange to do anything with someone then. I normally spend them with my phone on silent or airplane mode watching TV, planning my weekly timetable or organising my room.

Me on my 22nd birthday when I went out with my best mate ❤️️

I know from past experiences that when I get busy and don’t allow for time to recover, I end up crashing and requiring 1 week of constant sleep and rest.

And that’s not functional.

Getting to a healthy balance when you’re able to make progress on your career goals, personal growth and still make time for family, friends and yourself is the final aim.

And when I find that healthy balance, I’ll be sure to let you know!!

Currently I’m on day 2 of a 3 13hrs work days, having to fit training in there at some point as well as prep for the next day. So that’s not healthy. But next week, I know I’ll arrange to take one day off so I can have a lie in and rest. That’s the only thing I can think to do. Balance your busy times with some rest for your mind and body. And listen to your body. Constant aches and pains are your body’s way of hinting you need to take some rest.

Just a photo of Lily sleeping because God knows she’s doing all my resting and recovering for me ATM.

All in all, if you’re happy and are enjoying doing what you’re doing it’ll be easier to not take rest and I’m one of the guilty people to do that. However, our bodies aren’t machines. They’re malleable substances that are what we make them to be. And require rest to reach these goals.

“No matter how fast life is moving around us, there is always a place of stillness inside.”