Do you ever feel like true rest is unreachable? You finally get a moment to take a break, but your mind won’t stop spinning. Or, you snuggle into bed ready to leave today’s worries behind, but your internal cogs just won’t stop turning. If these scenarios sound familiar, you might be in need of mental rest.
It can be easy to feel like you are a slave to your own mind. It doesn't turn off, and you’re just along for the ride. What if I told you that you have the power to train and control your mind? What if you embraced the idea that mental rest is within your reach? Come along with me as we explore the peace and power of mental rest.
What is Mental Fatigue?
In the same way that our physical body experiences fatigue when overworked, our brain experiences mental fatigue when it is involved in an over abundance of thinking, reasoning and remembering activities. This phenomenon can lead to decreased productivity, decreased cognitive function, and even decreased physical performance. Is that resonating with you today?
You probably hear it all the time - we are inundated with information and options in today’s world. In the pursuit of freedom of choice, we have created an exhausting environment for our minds. We are constantly presented with choices that have hundreds or even thousands of possible options. Our desire for information has led to information overload. Think about all of the podcasts available. When was the last time you got in the car alone and drove in silence? All of the information to process requires a huge amount of brain activity and energy.
I’m guessing you spend daily time on your phone, your tablet, your computer, or all three. Each of these interactions involve brain activity.
Some people are prone to perfectionism. Always striving to make the “best choice” or be the “perfect parent.” This type of thinking can put the brain into decision overload. Anxiety, worry, and mental fatigue are often the result.
As parents, we spend all day working and using our brains. Some of us work in an office all day or spend ample time on a computer. Some of us spend all day with a toddler who has many questions or conflicts. We spend time thinking about all that we need to do to prepare our children for the next day, next month, or next stage. Add in caring for a child with special needs and our cognitive load immediately multiplies.
So, How Can We Find Mental Rest?
Unless you live under a rock, I can guarantee you have experienced mental fatigue at some point. To rejuvenate your mind and decrease your chance of mental fatigue, you need to experience mental rest. Mental rest means learning how to take a break from the constant chatter in your brain and embracing cerebral stillness and quiet.
“ Mental rest means learning how to take a break from the constant chatter in your brain and embracing cerebral stillness and quiet.”
How Do You Know If You Need Mental Rest?
So what are some signs of mental fatigue? Below, I have listed a few:
When you start to consider your day, you become overwhelmed or frustrated
You avoid activities because you are afraid you will make a mistake
Your mind feels foggy and not fully functional
You lash out at your family, close friends, or coworkers about things that don’t matter
You spend the majority of your day working on tasks or projects that feel overwhelming
You lie in bed at night, physically exhausted, but can’t fall asleep
When you think about your to-list, you’re not sure if you have the mental capacity to complete it
If any of these feel like you right now, it may be time to give your mind a break. So how do we do that?
What Can You Do to Get Mental Rest?
I think we have a lot of misconceptions about mental rest. Some common tactics I see people use to combat mental fatigue involve watching Netflix and scrolling through social media. These activities seem to give our mind a rest, but the reality is this: our brains still have to do a lot of work to watch TV or interact with an electronic device.
So what activities truly help you find mental rest? I have compiled a few ideas for when you are short on time and a few options for when you have some extra time to give your mind a break.
Here are some quick ways you get mental rest right now:
Meditate for a few minutes each day. Meditating is essentially taking a mental inventory and regaining control of your thoughts. Maybe you’re not sure how to do that. Here is a simple explanation and instructions There are many apps and YouTube videos for mediation. These are helpful tools for learning this practice, but I find it’s best to separate mental rest from devices. It may seem difficult at first because our minds are so used to running but give yourself time. You will be finding rest for your mind before you know it!
Eliminate the tasks you don’t need a.k.a Simplify. I know as parents we are busy and have a lot of responsibilities. Have you ever considered the thought that some of these “responsibilities” are unnecessary? Your child will get into college if they don’t play every team sport. Your house doesn’t have to be decorated as if you will be on the cover of House Beautiful. You don’t have to say “yes” to every good thing that comes your way. Think about your daily to-do list and really consider which activities are necessary and important for your family. Are there dreaded tasks you could eliminate? Choose two or three tasks you could stop wasting mental energy on.
Do all the difficult activities first. There are some activities we don’t like that we simply must do. Try to schedule a block of time early on in your day to complete all of these dreaded tasks. The morning is when our mind has the most energy. Getting all of these things done at once will help you move on with your day and release these obligations from your mind.
Let go of “perfect.” For some (I am right there with you…) this is difficult but if you can make the choice to accept it, it can be extremely freeing and life-giving. My friend and entrepreneur, Laura Figueroa, of Outdoor Kids OT, introduced me to the mantra, “Better done than perfect.” Why waste mental energy focusing on perfection when you can gain mental energy from the satisfaction of getting things done?
Get outside. I would be remiss if I didn’t include this option for mental rest. Nature has an incredible power to calm and restore our minds. Attention Restoration Theory is a scientific theory, backed by neuroscience evidence showing that immersing ourselves in nature gives our minds mental rest by providing a place away from the stressors of everyday life. This applies to children, as well as adults, and I believe in this so strongly that I have created my OT practice around this principle. Make the time to get outside. Take a walk. Take a hike. Sit by a stream. Or just sit on your deck and watch the birds. You will reap the benefits!
If you have some extra time to rest your mind, here are some ways to do that:
Take a silent retreat. This can be done for one hour or up to a whole weekend. Truly be silent and turn off your phone. Isolate yourself from other people. This allows you to really listen to and monitor your thoughts. A silent retreat helps you to learn how your mind works and understand how to control your thoughts and reactions better. It is not only restful when you do it, but it will teach you how to prevent mental fatigue in your daily life.
Spend time creating a mental sanctuary. This may sound strange, but it simply means training your mind to focus on something restful and peaceful. If you learn to create this sanctuary in your mind, you can “go” to your mental sanctuary when your mind feels overwhelmed and overworked. For instance, when I find my mind racing as I go to sleep, I like to picture myself walking along the beach at the ocean. I focus on the sounds I would hear, the sight of the waves and the feeling of the and under my feet. What is your special place that gives you a feeling of peace?
Spend a day free from technology. I know this may seem difficult or even unsafe. But, this is a great practice to try once in awhile. The more you do this, the more you can understand the effects that constant technology use can have on your mind. If you can manage, I recommend unplugging from technology for a whole day each week. At the very least take a break from social media.
Our mind works hard everyday, but we often overlook giving it the rest that it needs. Even taking five minutes a day to rest your mind can change the way you feel and perform in you daily life.
I challenge you to choose one strategy from the list above to try this week. Let me know its going. I would love to start a conversation on the Skipping Stones Facebook page about rest and start a community discussion about things you’ve tried, things you’re struggling with and maybe we can all help each other feel more rested and ready to face our lives with strength and energy.
See you next week for our next stop on our journey to find rest.
