02 Apr If I gave myself permission to rest…
We are closing out our, “Nutrition is a Science and Your Body is a Science Experiment” series with our final experiment. But first, how did your Week 4 experiment go? We want to hear about it!
Our Lab Report for Week 5 is below, but just like the weeks prior, we encourage you to make this experiment personal by completing the report for yourself.
Week 5 Lab Report
Title of Experiment
If I gave myself permission to rest…
Purpose
Rest is essential for providing our body the pause and time that it requires to reset and recover. Building on my self-care habits from last week, I will highlight, schedule, and emphasize rest without feeling guilt about everything I could and should be doing.
Hypothesis
I think it will be hard to uphold my commitment to rest even though I know it will be beneficial, but if I am able to press through and allow myself to rest (ironic, right?!) then my body will find ways to show me gratitude.
Materials and Method
No materials required, I think. This will require me to determine a frequency to schedule in rest or breaks.
Data and Observations
- I can overthink anything (even thinking itself), so learning what “rest” really means was an important first step for this experiment. I learned there are actually seven types of rest. Learn about them here.
- Physical rest. I scheduled one nap this week for myself. It was glorious.
- Mental rest. I left my phone inside and hung out in my yard and just soaked up the sunshine. No chores, just chilled.
- Emotional rest. I asked a friend out to coffee and updated her on how I’ve been “really” doing lately.
- Social rest. I planned an afternoon stroll with a few gal pals and enjoyed conversation and walking.
- Creative rest. I cracked open a book I’ve been wanting to read that has nothing to do with any of the work and projects in progress, simply because I’ve been wanting to read it.
- Sensory rest. It had been a while since I journaled, so I got my favorite pen and journal and wrote about what’s been going on in the month of March.
- Spiritual rest. I read a Proverb a day this week based on the day of the month (there are 31 Proverbs, so pretty easy to remember where I left off) and thought about what I read and what I could take away.
Conclusion
I can get so busy and caught up in crossing off my to-do list that I forget to unplug. Rest isn’t being lazy, it’s recharging and I think choosing at least one restful thing to incorporate per day (the more the better) would be incredibly beneficial in living intentionally and being my best self for me and for others. I know my body would appreciate the pause.
By Victoria Emmitt RD
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