If we want to rest and rejuvenate in ways that are sustainable to us, we have to start carving time out of everyday to rest instead of waiting for days off from work. Especially for someone who works multiple jobs, rest days might be hard to find as additional jobs usually happen on the weekends or whatever free days the worker has available. That’s why it’s important to get in the habit of taking that full hour lunch break, taking a break every few minutes or so to breathe and recenter, and really knowing what things refill your cup when you’re tired.
If possible, forget the idea of special treats, and start treating yourself every single day, because you work hard every single day. And that expectation that you’ll be rewarded every day might make long days easier. Part of the reason rest days don’t really work is because they are supposed to make up for long stretches of time without them. Whether that be the 5-day work week or maybe the months in between using your PTO, that’s so much work time piled up that a single weekend or a single vacation doesn’t have the capacity to fully decompress you.
Rest is something you have to work at as well. You have to know what activities fully replenish you and how to turn off your work brain during these activities, which is a learned skill that takes a lot of time. In fact, it’s a skill we have to unlearn from school where you still have assignments and projects over the weekend. From the second we set foot in the classroom, we’re conditioned to be work-focused every single day. But with time and practice you can unlearn that way of thinking and begin working rest and relaxation into every schedule and hopefully one day, a long, tiring day at work won’t mean anything because you’ll know just what you need to replenish yourself and be able to do that freely.
