The holidays are just around the corner, but will a healthy dose of rest be the gift you give yourself this season? Here’s a little guide on the art of actually taking a break!
South Africa (14 November 2024) — Whenever we as a country have the fortune of enjoying a longer period of rest (a long weekend, scheduled leave and, of course, the Dezemba holidays), many of us fall into the same trap.
We say we’re going to rest. Take it easy. Let our hair down and put our feet up. But often times, those daydreams of finally recuperating are shadowed by the struggle to switch off, forgotten or unexpected social commitments, and worst of all—the guilt of feeling like we should be doing something better with our time, which interrupts any kind of emotional rest not unlike a taxi cutting one off on a slow Sunday drive.
Rest sounds like a very easy thing to do. And in truth, it should be. But in a world that’s always connected and forever on the go, resting has become less of a mode and way more of a skill. An art, even.
If you know the struggle and the struggle knows you, here are 5 ways to switch into a restful lane this December:
1. Plan your rest days like you would a social gathering
Planning sounds contradictory to rest. But hear us out!
The holidays are oftentimes the breeding ground for unforeseen plans. Spontaneous liberation takes over, and before you know it, the Saturday you wanted to take to yourself is booked with a family braai, last-minute Christmas shopping with your mother-in-law or a road trip to Limpopo.
Before you know it, Christmas Eve has passed, and by Boxing Day, you’re desperately trying to wedge in any kind of “me time”. But it’s too late—it’s already New Year’s Eve, and your boss has already emailed the workforce to say it’s going to be a ‘big 2025’!
Since we haven’t even touched 1 December yet, there’s time to plan. While the planning semantics of your rest days part is up to you, the start of it all begins with giving yourself permission to rest.
Grab your calendar, block out days for yourself, commit to them (even if it annoys some people in your life) and make a list of all the things that refuel you most. Work backwards to see how many days you’d need to do all that refuels you, and you’ve got a recipe for a season of more rest!
2. Pump the breaks on social media for the love of boerewors!
Many of us check our phones more so out of habit than want. While switching our phones off for the whole of the holidays probably isn’t an option for everyone, pumping the breaks on social media is.
No one is going to fire you from their lives for not being active on social media for a day (or four). We don’t always realise it, but the time we spend checking social media is a lot more draining than it is fulfilling (this is largely because our brains are not designed to consume so much information in such rapid intervals!).
School students were able to enjoy fantastic results from time off their phones; reporting better sleep, feeling as though they had more time and a boost in creativity. You can even take a leaf from their book and get yourself an old school phone that has no access to social media.
3. Get out into nature
It’s so tempting to associate rest with rotting in bed and ordering takeout. This can be what it needs to be for a while, but doing too much of it is probably going to have adverse effects of guilt.
Instead, take some rest time ‘out there’ because what’s out there has a direct impact on what’s inside. Find a park, a beach, a hiking trail, heck, even sitting outside in the garden will do wonders. Get the sunlight straight into your eyeballs and dip your toes in the sea (even if it’s icy). Listen to birds and watch snails go about their day. Slowly, you’ll find yourself reconnecting with what your body was designed to connect with.
4. Make a mental disconnection from work
One of the biggest reasons we experience burnout is because our minds have not left the office (even if said office is at home). We might physically be on the couch, but mentally we’re overthinking that passive aggressive email Thabo sent before the break, or how we’re going to get that promotion in the new year.
In reality, this inability to kick work out of our minds happens because we don’t set enough boundaries with ourselves. We’ve identified too much with our careers and, consequently, suffer dopamine withdrawals when we don’t have work challenges to face.
The way to combat this is to understand that rest is better for the long-term goal. If you were an athlete whose muscle tore, you would be advised to rest for a prolonged period. The rest might feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s a way better deal than potentially screwing up your leg for the long term. The same can be said for those experiencing burnout.
5. Make sure you nourish your body
We all know that one of the best parts of the festive season is the food. Nevermind a cheat day, it’s a cheat season for plenty of us, and don’t forget the festive booze train. But if you really want to rest, you have to understand that what you ingest does directly impact how well you rest. Processed foods cause havoc for sleep cycles. Alcohol is no friend to anxiety. And excess sugar can leave you feeling beyond drained.
Take the season with ease, but don’t forget to do it with intention. It might just end up being the best gift you get.
by 