How are you resting every day? That’s not a typo. I’m recommending some rest every single day. No, this doesn’t require retirement or a big vacation (though we know wellness travel can help). This is about filling your cup.
Consider creating a rest routine. The world around us moves so quickly pressuring us to keep up. For some of us, that speed isn’t attainable. For others who naturally sustain energy, you still need time to rejuvenate. If you make rest a consistent practice, you’re less likely to burn out. And then we’re normalizing taking care of ourselves. Yay!
Let’s Talk Energy
As you look to get back that restorative feeling, first look within to understand what you really need. When you know your Human Design, it’s like a shortcut to that inner knowledge. We start with the five archetypes:
- Manifestor
- Generator
- Manifesting Generator
- Projector
- Reflector
Notice Generator and Manifesting Generator are in bold letters. That’s because these are the only two types that have sustainable energy. That means that Gina who is a Generator can meet friends for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with all the excitement in the world. Meanwhile, Tessa (her bestie) is a Reflector and is down for just one of those three options. This isn’t about being an introvert or extravert. It’s about our unique energetic blueprints.
Imagine Tessa meets up with Gina and a few friends for lunch. She’s thrilled to be out and about, gets pumped and decides to join for dinner. In between, she goes to run an errand by herself. Now that she’s away from Gina’s sustainable Generator energy, Tessa loses steam and cannot understand why she decided to agree to dinner. That’s because she fed off of her friend’s energy. It’s not naturally who she is or the way her own energy works.
My husband and I are Projectors living with a Generator child. What I’ve realized is that if all three of us are in the living room and I need rest, I’ll take myself to the bedroom and close the door. This gives me the space to be alone, rejuvenate, and be ready to rejoin my family with joy. Sometimes I’m in there for 10 minutes, other times for hours. It’s a matter of understanding what I need in that moment.
Relaxing Ideas
Rest can look differently to each of us. Often times when we need it most, we don’t know where to start. To counter that feeling, save this for resources. Here are some of the ways I take respite:
- Guided meditation
- Walk around the block (it does not have to be lengthy – just change scenery and move to get the flow going)
- Color in my adult coloring book
- Watch 15-30 minutes of a favorite show
- Do a sun salutation on my yoga mat every 30 minutes
- Nap
- Allow myself to close the laptop before 5pm
- Adult sleepovers (staying with one of my girls and working from their place)
- Ten minutes of online window shopping
- Reading whatever book I’m diving into that week
- Hop on Marco Polo and send one of my loved ones a message
- Listen to a podcast (I hear Through Inspired Eyes is amazing)
- Transcendental Meditation
- Pick something in my surroundings to look at. Then set a timer for three minutes and keep my concentration there. (This is great for eye exercises and calming anxiety, too.)
- Close my eyes for five minutes of gratitude
If our daughter, Love, chose her rest options it might look like going for a run or listening to her favorite new artist on a walk to CVS. David would likely nap or go for a drive. It’s most important to honor your own needs.
Insider Tip
Notice the list didn’t include social media or games on my phone. I’ll let you in on a little creator’s secret. Once I removed both from my down time, my creativity soared through the roof. Exhibit A: I wrote this blog in 10 minutes between client calls when I was inspired by an email I read. SOARED!
How would you fill your cup? Send me an email or DM me on Instagram and tell me. I’d love to hear from you. Plus, I’m always looking for new ideas. You can message me at jackie@InspiredJourneyConsulting.com.
One fabulous lesson I’ve learned from studying Human Design is to adjust the cup metaphor. If our cup is empty, we have nothing to give. If our cup is full, when we give it ends up half full or empty. Instead, let’s aim to have our cup overflowing into the saucer so we can give to others and ourselves without losing us in the process. To do this, we need rest. Take care of you!