How to spend your rest day.

Today for me is a rest day. A day to rest and relax and basically do absolutely nothing.

I’ve been feeling completely awful recently. My energy levels have plumeted to a completely unmanageable level, I’ve been making silly mistakes in work and I just haven’t been able to function outside of work. I can’t keep up with the washing or the cleaning, I’ve not been able to revise for my exam, some days I haven’t been able to shower. (Sorry work colleagues, but that smell in the office was actually me).

I find it so hard to sit around and do nothing. My body may be tired but my brain is active, and it wants to do everything. Actually being able to sit there and rest feels near enough impossible sometimes. But it is important.

I know that if I carry on the way I am that I am going to end up in an energy defecit hole that I just can’t come out of. And my fatigue is difficult enough to deal with as it is.

There’s always the added cycle of: when my physical health is bad, so is my mental health. They feed into one another (possibly a post for another day), and it’s a downward spiral from there that I am currently struggling to get out of.

So I’ve decided to take a rest day for both my mental and physical health.

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How to get the most out of your rest day.

So what am I doing today? How am I spending my rest day? Well there’s a number of things I try to do whenever I need a day of complete rest and I thought I would share them with you.

Get up.

If you really have no energy and just can’t get out of bed that’s fine. I have those days, and pushing yourself is not going to make things better.

But, if you do have the energy I urge you to get up. I usually get up and then sit on my comfy corner seat on the sofa, surrounded by all the things I need for the day, and rest there instead.

If I stay in bed for longer than I need to, not only do I sleep for longer than I should (leading to worse sleep that night), I also end up feeling really groggy, blurry and anxious. The longer I stay there, the harder it gets to eventually get up.

So I get up, and rest on the sofa, knowing if I really am too tired then I can go back to bed.

Put on clean pajamas.

I am a huge fan of not getting dressed when I need to rest – if I’m not going outside I dont want to stand in front of my wardrobe trying to figure out what to wear just to then sit on my sofa all day.

But I do think it’s good for your mental health to just put on something clean. I actually bought new pajamas for this weekend so I had something nice and comfy to wear. (I love them and I wish I could live in them).

If you have the energy (only if you have the energy) try to have a quick shower/bath and put on your clean pajamas, and feel ready to truly relax.

It’s really surprising how much of a difference this can make.

Be Still.

Man do I find it hard to do this. After sitting down for two seconds I instantly want to be doing something. It feels impossible.

But if you really need to rest, it isn’t going to happen unless you spend some time being still and REALLY not doing anything.

So I try to watch at least one episode of a show, or listen to a podcast, or do a mindfulness meditation. ANYTHING that involves sitting there, taking my mind off my aches and pains, and NOT MOVING.

You don’t have to be still all day, but just try for part of the day to do absolutely nothing.

Hobbies.

On the back of that, there are also lots of things you can do that don’t use up much energy. Granted I still think being still is important, and I try to do that as much as I possibly can (especially when I am feeling the way I do now). It can get quite boring though.

That’s when I turn to things that I can do that take up the least energy possible. I write (which also helps me get my feelings out), I read for a bit, I play the Sims. I’ve already written about how much I enjoy knitting and crochet.

I can’t do any one of these things for a whole day, because different parts of them do cause fatigue – for example, writing and knitting make my arms tired, reading makes my eyes burn after a while. They do occupy me for a little bit though, and it’s a good way to still feel productive when I haven’t done much.

Plan meals out in advance.

One thing I find particularly stressful, especially when I am tired, is figuring out what to eat. I don’t understand why, but it’s always a stressful and anxiety inducing decision.

I usually end up staring at the cupboards just crying on the inside, and then end up eating something really random. I don’t always have the energy to make something, so what I end up eating is usually not very healthy.

This is where planning in advance comes in handy. If you already know what you’re going to eat, and it’s already there ready for you, it’s much easier to actually eat it. It’s also easier to make when it just needs to be heated up.

I usually opt for soup, which I make in batch when I have the energy. That way I know it is good for me, and it takes about 3 minutes to reheat and eat when I want it.

Why not check out my favourite soup recipe, red pepper and tomato.

Don’t expect too much of yourself.

Remember that the whole point of this is to actually give your body and mind some rest. You need a break, it’s so important. It’s so important to take a break for your mental and physical health to avoid burnout and making things worse.

Don’t expect yourself to feel better instantly. Don’t expect to be able to go back to normal after just one day. Sometimes it can take a while, but it’s so important to give yourself the time you need.

I know it sucks. I can’t sit here and tell you that I love having to sit still and do nothing for days at a time. I get bored, I get frustrated, I have to battle with depression while I am doing it. I have to constantly remind myself that nothing will get better if I don’t look after myself first.

Please take it easy. Please do something low energy that will help you to feel better. And PLEASE don’t beat yourself up about it. You need this, and it is important.

Do you have any other tips for spending your rest day? Feel free to share them in the comments below!