For me, true rest is something I don't get very often but i cherish whenever i get to experience it. My rest days are basically Friday and Saturday, because those are the only two days when I can genuinely switch off without that little voice at the back of my head reminding me that there is work tomorrow. During the week, even when I am technically doing nothing, I don't really feel like I am resting. There is always something I need to do, something that could pop up, something I have to finish or something waiting for me the next morning. So if I sit down and try to relax on a random Tuesday evening, I somehow end up feeling guilty about it, because i know their is work im leaving undone. I might still be watching something, but half of my brain is thinking about the things I haven't done yet.
That is why I have come to treat Friday and Saturday differently. I try to get everything I need to do out of the way before the weekend. Work, errands, little responsibilities, things I have been postponing throughout the week I try to clear as much of them as possible. It is almost like I have to earn the weekend first and once Friday comes, I just stop. I usually just stay by myself, put something on Netflix and chill. Sometimes I will spend hours watching movies or a series. Other times I might just scroll through the internet, go on Hive or Ecency, or simply lie down and do absolutely nothing productive.
There is no pressure to wake up early the next morning and immediately get back into work mode. There is no feeling that I should be preparing for something. I know I have those two days to myself, so I can actually enjoy them. It reminds me of something I have noticed about rest, sometimes the hardest part isn't even physically stopping. It is mentally giving yourself permission to stop. I can sit on a couch for three hours, but if I am constantly thinking about work, then I haven't really rested. True downtime, for me is when I don't have to think about what comes next.
I also think that is why I appreciate doing things alone during my downtime. There is something very peaceful about being able to decide exactly what I want to watch, what I want to eat, when I want to sleep and when I want to do absolutely nothing. There is no schedule to coordinate and no expectation to meet. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy spending time with family or other people. I do but there is a particular kind of peace that comes from having some completely unstructured time to yourself. If youve never stayed alone, i highly recommend it, it is blissful.
I suppose that is my version of downtime, just knowing that for two whole days, nobody is waiting for me to be productive. The funny thing is that I used to think resting was something you did when you had finished everything, but you never really finish everything do you?
Sometimes I still feel a little guilty, that feeling doesn't magically disappear just because it is Friday but I am learning that resting isn't wasting time. Sometimes watching Netflix for several hours is exactly what I need, my escape from the world and it is the raining season so everywhere is so cozy.
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From @novamind