More than 'just' sleep: how to get rest and thrive

For many of us, sleep is characterized as the enemy. It lurks at the bottom of our to do lists:

“I’ll sleep once this deadline has passed.”

“I’ll take a weekend off when this project finishes.”

The idea prevails that sleeping less makes you more productive. In the mid to long term, the opposite is true. Healthy sleep and rest are key to ongoing health and sustainable growth.

By avoiding sleep and rest, you do yourself severe damage and move further away from your goals.

Especially if you're worried you're on the path to burnout, you need to heal your body and relight your Spark. This means prioritizing need to rest and restore your physical and physiological systems to allow your parasympathetic nervous system to restore optimal functioning.

It's helpful to habit-stack rest into daily life, so it’s not a once-off, but a continual, ongoing practice.

Let’s look at two ways to get more rest: Prioritizing Sleep, and Building Restful Habits.

Make Sleep Your Priority

As you become vigilant about sleep, you start to loosen the tight grip of exhaustion and tension caused by chronic stress. Here are some key ways to create healthy sleeping habits.

1. Make your sleeping space cozy, welcoming, screen-free and dark.

   
   

2. Have a fixed bedtime hour and a fixed time to wake up. Our bodies tend to respond best to continuity and routine. Aim for eight to nine hours each night as you heal from burnout.

   
   

3. Many people benefit from a pre-bedtime ritual. You might start by turning off all devices. Then, do things like straighten the kitchen, brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, do a meditation, write in a gratitude journal — whatever works for you. Doing these kinds of things in a set order gives your body and brain the message that it is time to slow down and rest.

   
   

4. If you find yourself reaching for your phone in the middle of the night, remove temptation and leave it turned off in another room (if you use your phone as an alarm, use an alarm clock or wake-up lamp instead).

   
   

5. When you cannot sleep, resist the temptation to look at a screen. Instead, make a cup of tea, stretch, meditate or find another low-key activity that does not involve screen time.

   
   

6. Keep paper and a pen close to your bed so you can write things down if your mind is busy.

   
   

7. If you are waking up in the night or having trouble getting to sleep, use a breathing practice to help calm your system.

   
   

8. Alternatively, if you are struggling to sleep, have a soothing guided meditation downloaded to your phone so you can access it without being online. Pop your headphones on and keep the lights off as you meditate.

   
   

9. When you can’t sleep, worrying about not sleeping makes your situation worse. It’s one of those things Buddhists might call a ‘second arrow’ (not sleeping being the first): you’re already suffering and worrying about it only increases the suffering. Soothe yourself. Remind yourself that whatever happens, it will be okay. If it helps, imagine you are talking to a best friend in the same situation. Reassure and comfort your friend.

Sprinkle Rest Through Your Day

In addition to improving your sleep habits, build rest into your everyday. Frequent moments or blocks of rest activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which gives your body the signal to relax and heal. Here are some ideas.

• Nap. When you are healing from burnout, your systems need minimal external input. Naps give your body an opportunity to heal. Make sure napping doesn’t interfere with your nighttime sleep by setting an alarm. A half hour is ideal.

• Draw, doodle, write, paint or puzzle: Set a timer for 30 minutes (or longer) and do something creative with no agenda whatsoever. It does not matter what you make or how beautiful it is. What matters is doing something creative and soothing. Put your phone and other devices out of sight for the duration.

• Comforting content can offer a healthy distraction. Watch something that leaves you feeling soothed and rested, not stressed, gross or more tired. (For me, the first two seasons of David Lynch’s classic tv show Twin Peaks are pure, comforting rest. I have re-watched them many times for this reason.) As soon as you notice yourself feeling icky or drained, switch off and find another restful activity.

• Engage your senses in a soothing, relaxing way. Burn a favorite candle or incense, listen to great music, snuggle with a pet.

• Choose your reading and listening material wisely: Tap into what feels soothing and supportive. Do not add stress by taking in anything that pushes you to make plans or expend loads of energy when you are mid-burnout.

• Breathe. Your breath is a powerful way of giving your body the signal to relax and heal. Take some deep breaths in and out through your nose a few times each day. When you’re in nature, deepen your breath consciously as you take in fresh air. Breathe deep with a focus on the exhale before you go to sleep. Bring more awareness to your breath, even if just for a few moments, throughout your day.

• At work, set clear boundaries so you build rest into your schedule. Use a timer as a reminder to take a five-minute break every 45 minutes. Do some stretches or walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Take a longer break, around 20 minutes, every two to three hours and an hour or more for lunch away. Get away from your desk. Stay off screens. Do something entirely different to your work, like going for a walk or taking a nap.

• Guided meditation can give your mind momentary rest and form an important break from the ongoing maelstrom of thinking.

For more, listen to the episode of the Live+Work More Human podcast (formerly We Are Human Leaders) where we talk to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith about the 7 kinds of rest we all need.

If you'd like guidance on building rest into the everyday of your team or organisation, reach out to me now.