How To Rest: A Guide For Driven Coaches

Rest is the core of the word restore, which means to return, bring back, or repair something to its original state.

In the case of resting, that “something” is the nervous system.

Unfortunately, with the way modern society has been set up, it’s easy to stay stuck in survival mode day in, day out.

We’re bombarded with more stimulation and external stress than the human body was built to handle. 

We have an insane amount of things to juggle – bills, staff, relationships, packed schedules, traffic, and media noise.

In order to rest, we have to begin learning that it’s okay to rest, we deserve to rest, and we need to rest.

After trying out dozens of tactics to find what works for me… 

I’ve assembled a core list of pleasurable and restorative self-care practices that I cycle through in my routine.

These are my favorite ways to integrate rest into my everyday life, which may work for you too.

Engage in slow activities that are pleasurable.

Physically slowing your pace and reducing cognitive tasks or distractions is a simple way to help the body switch gears.

Think of carefully preparing a meal while listening to fun music. Doing Tai Chi. Or taking slow walks in nature.

Do breathwork.

Our breathing patterns are a main way the body gets the signal to switch between tracks of the nervous system.

When we breathe, we stimulate a bundle of nerves that connect from our organs to the brain, called the vagus nerve. It can tell the brain and body to basically either chill out, or freak out.

Doing intentional breath work is an amazing and super fast hack I’ve used for years to enter deep states of rest and calm down. In a matter of a few minutes—anytime, anywhere—you can blast away stress and tension.

Most of that time has been using the Wim Hof method, which you can find a ton of classes and tutorials for online.

Listen to your favorite music from when you were a teen.

For most of us, our teenage years had their own set of problems and stresses. But there was also usually an air of freedom and lack of responsibility. 

We often listened to way more music back then, on loop, which became a trigger for that carefree time and state of mind.

Listening to your favorite music from that era tends to bring a sense of play and nostalgia, which can be deeply rejuvenating.

Mindfully sip a mug of tea.

Green tea and matcha are awesome options, because of how many health benefits they deliver, without giving you a bunch more stimulation via caffeine.

Both teas are loaded with polyphenols, which have a ton of health benefits, like reducing inflammation, and neutralizing free radicals and repairing cellular damage, which defends against aging and disease.

Another big component is L-theanine, which has great calming, anti-anxiety effects, while increasing dopamine and encouraging a calm, creative alpha wave state in the brain.

Physical tension and mental tension are linked together.

I recommend booking at least an hour to fully drop in and soak up all the benefits of therapeutic touch and the relaxing atmosphere. 

Take Naps

Lying down to rest can give your brain an extra sleep cycle in the middle of the day, so you can carry on with more energy and cognitive resources.

The ideal naps length is around 20 minutes, and no more than 30. Because once you hit deeper levels of sleep, and get snapped out of it by an alarm, you risk causing grogginess and disorientation, which makes the transition back into the day much tougher.

Tips For Successful Integration

Whatever your ideal rest practices look like, the key is to schedule them into your life.

Treat baths, walks, breath work, massages, or grocery shopping like any other important meeting you’d never miss.

Set timers or alarms during your workday to remind you to get up and stretch, or make a cup of tea.

You might struggle with it at first. But if you get into the habit for a few solid weeks, you’ll be blown away by the difference, and wish you’d been doing this years and years ago.