Remote workers and distributed teams can both struggle with long, strange hours and working too much in general. Let’s take a look at what it means to feel well-rested. Why should we strive for it? What can we do to better protect our time? What ritual can you put into place that allows you to have good boundaries between work and play? How can you get the maximum amount of rest that you need to feel inspired, creative, and productive? Here’s to a well-rested 2020.
Why should we feel well-rested?
When we are well-rested we have:
- More energy
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Better focus
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Better ability to learn and remember things
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More creativity and inspiration
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A healthy immune system
What does being well-rested feel like?
My personal definition of well-rested is that “I have enough time and energy to do the things I want/need to do, and I feel inspired to create.” But of course, I asked my community and here is what they came up with.
“For me, it’s a sense of inner peace…fulfilment. A moment when I’ve completed my tasks or goal, have slept hard, and am able to wake up without worry…when I can go for a leisurely walk, still a bit sleepy, and then curl up with a good book and nice cup of coffee without my mind jumping to what needs to get done. Then feeling re-energised, inspired, and motivated to start all over again.”
— Mariah Quesada, Certified Health and Nutrition Coach and Plant-Based chef at Pabulum Health
“I’m not a rest specialist… But it does have a lot to do with letting go, allowing life to take place and most importantly: to trust and surrender to the flow of life, knowing that you’re safe and that you’re being taken care of. Because it is out of mistrust and fear that we start to over-actively work, run, manifest, create, do our best, etc.”
— Margit van Harten, Tantric coach, body-oriented therapist and trainer at Bewust op Weg
“My definition of well rested is if you feel fully alive. Bounce out of bed in the morning and feel excited and being able to connect to a sense of joy. Being able to focus and deal with what your day holds. Sleep deeply. Feeling light.”
— Deborah Mendes, Connecting people to people for visibility, people to nature for transformation
“For me, it’s probably a feeling of not being rushed, but I’m not sure. When I think about situations where I definitely feel relaxed, they are times when I can do nothing… just sit on a bench and observe what is going on around me. As a bit of a contradiction: when I am not well-rested, my mind keeps racing.”
— Ralph van Roosmalen, Agile and Organization Coach, CEO at Management 3.0 and Agile Strides
“I would not have tightness behind my eyes. Instead they would be open and alert. I would feel really engaged in the present moment. I would feel content and happy. When I’m in a middle of a song, dancing really fast to this swing dance music that feels playful, I feel rested!”
— Gretchen Wegner, academic life coach & creator of The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying
Thank you!
A special thank you to the following people for their peaceful contributions to this episode
- Gretchen Wegner, academic life coach & creator of The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying
- Margit van Harten, Tantric coach, body-oriented therapist and trainer at Bewust op Weg
- Deborah Mendes, Connecting people to people for visibility, people to nature for transformation
- Mariah Quesada, Certified Health and Nutrition Coach and Plant-Based chef at Pabulum Health
- Ralph van Roosmalen, Agile and Organization Coach, CEO at Management 3.0 and Agile Strides
Podcast production by Podcast Monster
Graphic design by Alfred Boland
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