Yay! It’s rest day! Now what?
Well, typically, this can mean not working. In other words, not doing stuff that earns you money. We’re pretty good as humans at seeing what that form of “not working” means. We step back from our businesses, don’t go into the office perhaps, we turn off of social media.
But these are all things that we don’t do, and this “not-doing” creates a vacuum. What do we do with this not-doing time?
It’s easy to lapse into doom scrolling—if we’ve not turned off social media—or lying in bed—if we’re not getting up to go to work. And even if we’re among those who have kids, we can lapse into just tending to their needs.
All of these things have their place, and I’m not going to label them “bad.” But they may not get us this feeling of “rest” that we’re really wanting before we return to our work, right?
It’s on days like these when the usual daily routine isn’t doing the thinking for us—What will we do with our time?—that we have to be a lot more deliberate or we will while away the time with things that don’t rejuvenate us.
So, here are some ideas if you’re looking for them along with a song just for fun. You’ll think some of these ideas are terrible—and perhaps the accompanying song—but I’m putting them out there anyway. Feel free to have a say in the comments of what works for you.
Take a walk around the block with a cup of coffee or hot tea while listening to Kashmir by Led Zeppelin. It’s 8 and a half minutes long, a perfect time for being out in the wintery weather)
Walk to a coffee shop and read. You can listen to John Lennon’s Imagine on the walk.
Clean the house with Christina Aguilera’s Fighter. Some of us are going to hate this option, I know. It may be what you do all the time, but for some of us this is an exercise that resets us. I will be doing this in a little, but I’ll put a fabulous vinyl—The Cure’s The Top—on the turntable.
Phone a friend you’ve not talked to for a while. Maybe the song Help! by the Beatles can get you in the mood if you need it. :)
Take your time to cook something you wouldn’t normally cook. Invite a friend over to enjoy it. My kids always liked helping up until about age 10, then they were too cool for school. Music while cooking? We need a full album. Perhaps Joni Mitchell’s Blue?
A drive in the country. Sounds like something from The Andy Griffith Show, but it can be a great way to get out of the house during the winter. I’m offering Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me.
Whatever it is you do with your day of rest, be deliberate about it. In your own way. We’ve got to have rest routines besides sleep to live fully.
If you have ideas to add, please do so!
