Word For Word
Ashley Brown 00:00
[Intro] Routines, my absolute favorite word, but you either love them or you hate them. And either way, I strongly believe that routines can be a springboard for improving your home, yourself and your life. I'm Ashley Brown, and this is the Routine and Things Podcast. In each episode, we'll dive into a specific routine or point of view that will move you closer to enjoying life more and more each day. Trust me, you're gonna want to keep listening, because you're well on your way to getting and staying happy.
Ashley Brown 00:47
Hey hey and welcome back for another episode of the Routine and Things Podcast. In this episode, today, I am going to be sharing with you how you can create a routine for rest. Yep, I said it, rest. Oh my gosh, do you even know what that word is? Do you even know? Rest. It can be hard for us to rest. Let's be honest. Is it hard for you to rise? I know that this is something that I've had to work on, like seriously work on because I'm a doer. Now I love doing and I love executing so it's something I'm good at. So I have to make sure that I schedule in rest. And maybe this is you as well. And so I'm going to help you out today with learning how to create a routine for rest. Because maybe right now you're craving rest because you feel overworked, stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, uninspired. Right and you need some rest. You need to take time to rest. But first, let's look at the definition of rest because this was really interesting, and I'm interested, it was cool when I looked up the definition. So it says to cease work. To cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself or recover strength. That is the definition of rest, which is a beautiful definition.
Ashley Brown 02:24
How I've struggled withrest is because like I said, I'm a doer and I'm great at executing so many times when I plan to execute, I execute, and it's no taking any breaks. It's like, I'm gonna get it done. What do I need to do? I'm getting it done. And so I don't rest. And you know, I have this business, and I have a family and I just have my own self that I'm responsible for. And so because I'm so good at executing and because I love it I have to make sure I schedule my rest time. I have to. And so I plan in rest because of this. And I think that many of us struggle with the rest. I mean that this could be you definitely. You struggle with rest because honestly our culture has really created this because our culture does not reward rest. It doesn't. It rewards hustle, hard work, grinding, getting things done. So it's no wonder why we sometimes struggle to sit our butts down and take some time to rest and relax. It's no wonder. But today, I'm going to teach you and show you that you can create a routine for rest and you can start to rest more in your life.
Ashley Brown 03:49
So what are the benefits of rest? There's some amazing benefits, amazing. You are able to recover your strength. That's super important. Refresh yourself and your mind, we have to rest because we have to rest our minds or we're just going to have these constant racing thoughts over and over and over. You know, those nights where you can't get any sleep, because you keep having these racing thoughts. That means you didn't rest. I've been there I've done that. Yes, get you some rest. Other benefits, you have better concentration, able to concentrate better. It reduces stress. You want to remove a layer of stress from your life start resting more, right? It reduces stress. It boosts your immune system. And you know, it's a lot going on in this time, we need to keep our immune systems in check. It boosts your immune system, and it sparks creativity and inspiration. That's why you get your best ideas from when you're in the shower or even at night when you start to relax because that's why. you're resting. So it sparks creativity and inspiration. And this is just some of the benefits of rest, there are so many other benefits to rest but rest is so important. And if you have to schedule it then schedule it in, but those are the benefits.
Ashley Brown 05:17
[AD] Before we continue the conversation today, I want to let you know this episode is sponsored by Routine and Things, which houses physical and digital products to help you get and stay in your happy place. From beautifully designed notepads that will help you rock your routines to programs that move you towards cultivating the life you want. To shop the collection head to routineandthings.com.
Ashley Brown 05:44
Alright, so let's go ahead and get back into things. So we are talking about rest. So let's get to creating a routine for a rest. And this routine can be used at any time when you need to rest or take some time to relax whenever. It's a three step routine. It's broad enough for you to fill in the space with what works for you. I created it just for this.
Ashley Brown 06:06
So the first step is to pause your work, because that was a part of the definition, to cease work. So the first step of your routine is going to be to pause your work. Turn off your computer, put away supplies and tools, move out of your workspace, whatever you need to do in order to put a pause or press pause on your work, do it. You know what I just thought about right now you should pull out some paper. You know what, if you have some paper around, or you have something to jot down some notes on, go ahead and pull it out. This would be a great episode to do this, to write down this routine. Pause your work is the first step. You can even pause this episode if you need to grab some paper, but pause your work, whatever that looks like for you do it. I know for me it is shutting down my computer. It is me moving out of my workspace. It is me putting up my papers and if I've been using pens, all of that and like pausing my work.
Ashley Brown 07:11
And then the second step is to settle into your space. And so this is the space where you're going to rest or wherever you're going to rest, settle in, get comfy, kick your feet up, put a blanket on, lay your head on a pillow, settle into your space, get comfortable in your space where you are going to rest. Do whatever you need in order for it to feel good to you. If you have a heated blanket, put that on. And especially in this time. Put on you on a heated blanket. Put you on something comfy, some warm fuzzy socks. Settle into your space, close the shades.
Ashley Brown 07:58
And then the last step. The final step of this routine is to calm your energy. Because we're going into rest at this point, calm your energy. You can do this in many ways. You can turn on soft music. You can dim the lights, put down the shades or blinds, close your curtains. Close your eyes. Take some deep breaths, calm your energy, light a candle. Turn off things that are making noise. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb. I love me a good Do Not Disturb. Calm your energy. And the next step is you're resting. You are resting.
Ashley Brown 09:00
So those are the three steps. And your routine for rest is to pause your work, settle into your space and calm your energy. You can plan this rest routine into your daily schedule, or it can be available to you whenever you need it. It is up to you. But if you struggle with the rest thing I would say to add this to your daily schedule, plan in your rest so that you don't get overwhelmed by doing all the things or just doing so much that you're not resting and then now you're overwhelmed with stress. Plan in your rest. And doing this routine can make it easier for you. That's why I created it because it can make it easier for you to rest. Also remember, rest is not your reward for doing. This does not mean that you have to do something in order to rest. You don't have to do a daggone thing. Rest is your right. Okay, rest is your right. You can wake up from taking a nap and rest. This is your right, do what you need to do for you.
Ashley Brown 10:16
And your routine work for this week because you know I always have some routine work for you. Your routine work for this week is to rest. Schedule in a time to rest and do this rest routine. And be sure to tag me on Instagram at Routine and Things and show me that you're resting. Show me that you're resting, be an example for others. Be an example for others show me that you are getting your rest, taking care of you. Super important. So that's your routine work for this week. Schedule in time for rest. Do this routine.
Ashley Brown 10:54
Alright, so that's it for this episode. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already. Also rate and review. You know, I'm so appreciative whenever you rate and review the podcast, it helps to support the show. And be sure to share this today. Share this podcast with someone you know that needs this. Someone that you come across that needs this. The more the merrier. Alright, well, I hope that you enjoy the rest of your day. Enjoy wherever you are, whatever you're doing, stay happy, and I will talk to you soon!
Ashley Brown 11:30
[Outro] Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, could you do me a huge favor and take a screenshot and share it on social. And for more routine goodness, be sure to visit routineandthings.com. Here's to staying happy!