Where’s My Rest!?

Recreation is a joy for many people! With the holidays approaching, some of you who are reading this may be in a State similar to my home state. The fall colors have come and the temperatures are dropping… all too quickly might I ad. But something popped up that changed the course of my topic… Rest.

Where’s My Rest!?

The context of this post today was going to cover recreation in the winter time, but after getting quite sick with a head cold earlier this week, I decided instead to focus on Rest. Anyone out there dealing with some form of sickness? Are you feeling extremely tired and overworked? Are you struggling to find a time to get in some real rest that leaves you rejuvenated? Did you know that in your extremely busy schedule, it’s very possible to do so!?

Where to find this Rest?

Imagine you just came off a long week of work, making solid progress in your job/work. Also, you’ve been able to complete your workouts at the gym/home while stay up with your friends/spend some quality time in your close relationships. Even though you were successful in the things above, you feel that those accomplishments just didn’t quite scratch you where you itch. So, you decide to ramp up your fun over the weekend.

Weekend Blues

If you’re like myself, a solid weekend full of fun eats can be relaxing. Or perhaps you also like to get out and hit parties to dance it up. Maybe you get outdoors on a beautiful hike or hit some waves. For some of you, working through Saturday (and maybe even parts of Sunday) feels “necessary” to keep up with the grind, there’s just “so much to do”. Whatever may be the case, you get all of that end and it feels like you’ve done something, but come Monday morning, you feel exhausted, still unfilled and lacking the refreshment you need to really press forward into this new week!

What’s The Problem!?

Many times, health (and the quality thereof) is directly associated to how much stress we have in our system. From a physiological standpoint, cortisol is a neurotransmitter the body uses to push us forward in times where we need to “go” and go quickly. However, if you’re constantly on the “go” with little down time, over time our adrenal system get’s worn down and our immunity starts to take a hit. At best, you feel lethargic, low in energy and not able to push as hard as you’d like. At more severe cases, like myself, you find yourself getting sick or stuck in bed all day long.

One Who Knows Their Limitations, Thrives!

A wise man once told me, “son, you must learn and understand your limitations…”. We often lose sight of our limitations based on the constant demands of work, relationships and pursuing a life of better health. Although these are important and “good for us”, they easily take us out of the game and rob us of the Rest we need so badly.

So how do we get to know our limitations? How do we take better care of ourselves in this fast pace life we live? Glad you asked! This is a topic I wasn’t ready for at the time, but started to touch on back in April of 2018.

3 Steps to Taking Back Your Rest

1. Take inventory of your relationships, environment, and circumstances. Is there something that is slowly eating away at you? Oftentimes, in our health, wealth or relationships (maybe all three), there’s something that is deep down, eating at us constantly. What is that for you? Is it a relationship that leaves you feeling angry or frustrated? Is it a job you are struggling to find progress in? Maybe it’s your finances, no matter how hard you try to stop spending, you cannot stop? Be truthful, take record and write this challenge down!
2. Once you have it written down, share it with someone you know you are able to trust. Not only share it with someone who is trustworthy, but also make sure they reciprocate with you too. I have found myself in relationships where the reciprocation isn’t there. Thereafter, I end up getting more frustrated due to lack of connection and authenticity in that relationship.
3. Once these first two are done, find tools to address this challenge. With the help of your trustworthy friend, mentor or family member as accountability, take steps to work on it. There are a number of vast options out there, so be diligent in your search. As you progress, you will find that it wasn’t your activities that were wearing you down. That underlying challenge that is robbing you of your true Rest is what’s wearing you down.

So what’s robbing your rest? Please share in the comments below! Feel free to send a private email to me if this relates to you and you feel comfortable sharing. I’m also over at the gram, hit me up!

Blogger Bio

Oliana & I @ Bigsby Bridge

Ryan lives in the East Bay with his wife Oliana. He works diligently to bring all the resources and tools necessary to provide a complete package to his clients. His focus is on personal training in fitness, nutrition, time management and other key areas of lifestyle. Outside of the private training/group fitness classes, Ryan & Oliana work on their walk with Christ, personal fitness and lifestyle goals together. They would like to one day have enough space for 2-3 dogs and work w/out having to report to a job. They both love movies, getting outdoors (especially camping), and eating food!