Rest And Relaxation

Rest And Relaxation:
It Does Your Mind & Body Good!

This week is Spring Break for my kids. They were lucky enough to go to Cocoa Beach, Florida with my mom who came to town to visit and take a trip with her grandkids. My husband and I will meet up with them over the weekend in Savannah for our mini-trip to watch our 11-year-old play some soccer games there.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had several mandatory scheduled breaks while working in the real world?  Of course, if you’re a teacher, you get to take the breaks with the kids, but most of us have other occupations and we may get anywhere between 1-4 weeks a year of vacation time.

Many people don’t even use all of their vacation time. I’ve never understood the concept of feeling like I couldn’t leave a job for a few days to relax and feel rejuvenated. When I was working in Corporate America, I never had enough vacation time.  When I would start with a new company, I would have maybe 2 week’s vacation time and have to work there at least 5 years before I would ever earn the 3^rd week.

In the school system that my kids attend, it’s called a balanced calendar and they get a week off about every 6-9 weeks until their summer break which is 8 weeks long. They will have quite an adjustment when they are out of school and working in the real world.

My kids will probably start feeling restless at work and need a break mentally every 6-9 weeks just to increase their productivity levels. I can already tell that they are very accustomed to their frequent school breaks and start to get quite antsy right before their next break.

There is something to be said about taking frequent breaks to relax and rejuvenate.  There is even science to back up the notion that we can all benefit from relaxing regardless of our age. If we never take time to relax, we will constantly feel stress and that is not good for our minds or our bodies. Some would argue that in our society, stress is the biggest health concern, since studies have linked it to so many other complications, from heart problems to dementia.

Another societal problem is our lack of quality sleep. I have suffered from lack of a good night’s rest on many occasions! When I was working in Corporate America, I routinely only slept between 5-6 hours a night because I am naturally a night owl and my alarm would go off and 5 a.m. Monday-Friday for my busy day to begin.

I know I am not alone in this battle for more sleep. Now, I do sleep between 7-8 hours a night and I can’t even describe how much better I feel and much clearer I think.  My energy level is through the roof too!
Getting the correct amount of quality sleep is essential to your ability to learn and process memories. Sleep also helps restore your body’s energy, repair muscle tissue and triggers the release of hormones that effect growth and appetite.

The amount of sleep you need depends on your age.  As a general guideline, The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends at least 11-12 hours for preschool-aged children, 10 hours for school-aged children, 9-10 for teens and 7-8 for adults.

Quality of sleep also matters. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the most restorative sleep and should account for one-fourth of the time you spend sleeping. Therefore, if you are an adult who sleeps 8 hours in a night, 2 hours should be REM sleep.

Here are 5 tips to conquer your stress and get your necessary R&R:

1. 1. Take a vacation – yes, actually leave your 9-5 job and take a trip somewhere. Take your family or just a trip for you and your spouse/significant other, if you could use the time to reconnect.  Once you return home, you will feel refreshed and you will be quite surprised how much more productive you are at work, just taking off for a few days.

1. 1. Plan a date night – This can be a family date night playing mini-golf, going indoor rock-climbing, a night of cosmic bowling or skating at the local skating rank. It could be a date night with your spouse to go see a local band, symphony, theatre,  a bowling night,  I think you get the point the possibilities are endless!  You can also plan a date night with one of your children.  Pick one night a month and do something with just the two of you that both of you enjoy.  Give each child a date night each month. I bet they will look forward to the one on one time with mom or dad.

1. 1. Try a new exercise/sport – Have you been dying to try ariel yoga like me? Well, that might be more of a “me” thing, but if there is a new workout or even a sport that you enjoyed playing as a kid, check out the fitness class or sign up for an adult league.  You might even make some new like-minded friends.

1. 1. Go to a theme park – As a child, this was pretty much the only type of vacation my family ever took. I have seen more theme parks across the country than National Parks or anything else for that matter. I guess that’s why I’m a huge roller coaster buff.  I love screaming at the top of my lungs as I’m hurdling down a tall hill or being flipped upside down on a coaster. Theme parks are a great way to relax and be a kid again.  Bring your whole family or your spouse/significant other.  Hey, I just gave you yet another date night suggestion. 

5. Have a game night – I for one am super competitive and I really try to win if I’m playing a board game. Grab a bunch of board games that the family likes and have a great time competing against one another. Card games are also a lot of fun and you can get the family involved too.

However you decide to relax, do something that makes you feel refreshed and ready to take on whatever life throws your way.

Happy Relaxing,
Stacy

Sources: 1-mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/rest-relaxation-and-exercise;
2-huffingtonpost.comstress-awareness-day-relaxation-benefits_n_1424820.html