Even though you know the negative effects of working too long without a break, learning to break the cycle of overwork and carve out space to rest can be difficult. Sometimes it’s just doing too much, but if the lack of rest is related to something like trying to deal with trauma by doing too much to the point of burnout, then it’s a bigger mindset shift. may be required.
Regardless of whether you’re healing something on a deeper level, a lack of recovery time can make it difficult for your mind and body to recharge, leading to disruptions in physical and mental functioning.
Here, experts talk about how to spot the signs our bodies send us and what to do now to accelerate healing and build long-term resilience.
How the mind and body work together
Dr. Edith Eva Eager, a Holocaust survivor, New York Times bestselling author, National Jewish Book Award winner, and trauma psychologist, writes Young about her experiences surviving Auschwitz. She is the author of the adult memoir The Ballerinas of Auschwitz. He leaves camp and returns home overwhelmed with sadness and guilt, only to realize that he can choose to live and experience joy again.
“I realized my limitations,” Dr. Eager says. “I have limited powers outside of me, but[the Nazis]couldn’t touch my psyche. And I think that helped me a lot.”
Jennifer Mann is a mind-body practitioner, yoga instructor, and functional movement therapist.
And I have been battling severe chronic fatigue. Co-author of In THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF THE BODY, she currently supports others in using trauma-informed mind-body healing techniques to heal their nervous systems. This was a big part of her own recovery journey.
“When you separate the mind’s thoughts, emotions, memories, and brain trauma from the experience of the body, and view the body as a robot of parts and the mind as its own machine, it is very difficult to heal them. The process is mutual. It’s tied together,” Mann explains.
Calming your body calms your mind, and vice versa, she adds. “The mind and body are one through the mind-body connection, and the mind-body connection is the brain and nervous system. And our brains and bodies are constantly in dialogue with each other. This is because we have a nervous system. This element of connecting mind, thought, and body allows us to go deeper into the roots of these more complex mind-body disorders and actually uncover some of the root causes. It is an unresolved trauma response that is manifesting in the body.”
says Ashley Nice, author, mother, and publisher of The Deeper Call. Personally, it strains relationships, reduces emotional resilience, and undermines overall well-being. ”
don’t miss the sign
Signs that you need rest include (but are not limited to):
You are exhausted all the time. Continuing to feel tired even after getting “enough” sleep is a red flag. Out of focus. If you find yourself having trouble concentrating on a task or conversation, or notice that you’re retaining information less than usual, it could be a sign that you need a break. Your immune system is under attack. If you’re constantly getting sick, or if you get cuts and injuries that don’t heal as quickly as they used to, you may be suffering from burnout. Your mood is all over the place. Mood swings can be caused by a lot of things, but if you notice that your mood swings are starting to feel like normal, it could be your body trying to get your attention through your emotions. .
I officially need a break. Well, what is it?
It’s one thing to realize you need to rest, but it’s another to actually do something with that information.
Awareness is an important first step, says Mann. “It helps you learn the messages your body’s language gives you. That is, you learn to listen and tune into your sensations, emotions, heart, heartbeat, and breathing sensations, and learn to understand what they mean and what they mean. It means actually learning how things are translated into patterns whether you’re comfortable with them or not. ”
From there, she says, you can interrupt those patterns as they emerge and redesign new ones that are more supportive of your physical and mental health.
“Quietness starts in the body, and it really starts in the body,” Mann says. And through a variety of techniques, whether it’s awareness, interruption, redesign, or the support of a therapist, or by doing more of what you love, quitting work that you know isn’t good for you, or speaking up. You can feel it when you feel it. When you’re saying yes and you’re really tired or slow to do something good for yourself, and you start to feel safe in your body, you often really calm down on a physiological level. ”
To incorporate more calming habits into your day, Nice recommends: Establish a consistent rest routine, such as a weekly walk in nature, and set boundaries around your work to create a space where you can relax and rest. ”
If it feels a little strange at first, you’re not alone, she added. “Rest often feels uncomfortable at first, especially if you are used to a fast-paced lifestyle or constant productivity. The happiness benefits make it a rewarding habit worth cultivating.”
Building long-term resilience
It would be great if we could just do the healing and rejuvenating work once, but the reality is that life and work are full of challenges, and we need to focus on how we can build long-term resilience. is essential.
Dr. Eager reflects on her time at the camp and how it later influenced her experience when she came to the United States. “The Nazis weren’t really cruel to us, but sometimes our people were more cruel than the Nazis. We were working in factories and had to cut the strings. But that’s what I actually did when I came to America. I worked in a small shirt cutting factory. So I gained experience from camping. I think it was an opportunity for us to discover deals we hadn’t imagined. For us, instead of falling into an “us and them” mindset, instead of falling into idealism, we were in the present, hoping for the best. I think it was very important to be a good person in life. For me, that involved a lot of actually praying for my enemies. ”
She added, “They controlled a lot of things, but they could never take away my dreams, my hopes, and the way I gave myself that hope.” When difficulties arose, he said he told himself, “This is temporary and I will get through it.”
Mann says that while basics like sunlight, time in nature, sleep, and setting boundaries are important, doing more of the things you love is also incredibly powerful. “Once you understand what they are, you know you’re doing them all day long, and you really spend time giving your body that goodness so that it has time and space to stay in tune and healthy.” Just make sure you’re taking the journey. “