Are You Resting But Not Rejuvenating?
They’re different things. Make sure you're doing both.
I used to hate rest days.
Seriously. I didn’t understand why we had them but I would (begrudgingly) take them.
Resting meant I couldn’t DO. And I love to DO.
But rejuvenation? That’s a whole different ball game.
What is Rejuvenation?
The word rest means “to cease from action” … but the word rejuvenation comes from re + juvenis (Latin for “young”) so basically it means to make someone/something young or fresh or new again.
THIS is something we can all get into, right?
Even if you don’t want to be young again, almost everybody could do with feeling fresh or new again.
How Do You Rejuvenate?
But the key is figuring out how to rejuvenate.
If you look at our media and advertising, you’d think all women would feel rejuvenated by manicures, shopping, wine, and vacations.
But that kind of rejuvenation would be totally wrong for me.
I feel rejuvenated by reading, lifting weights, walking, and talking —so I make sure to do those things often. And when I take days off from work? I read, lift, walk, and talk. (This might sound insane but I have more energy than four puppies so I think things are working okay.)
So what I want you to think about is:
What makes you feel fresh and new again?
It doesn’t have to be anything that society says … or that I say!
It could be running, gardening, yodeling, or making tamales for your neighbors — anything! All that matters is that it matters to you and it makes a difference in how you feel.
Figure It Out + Do More of It
What I’m trying to say here is that if you’re only resting, that’s not enough.
Ceasing from action is okay (and necessary) to get you through life … but rejuvenation is what will help you enjoy life.
So focus this week on rejuvenation.
Concentrate on figuring out what makes you feel fresh again and try to do more of that.
You might even need to consider the V word … vacation. (I’m years overdue for one. Need to plan. More on that in a future post!)
See how it all feels. Rinse and repeat. And maybe — just maybe — find your way a little bit closer to happiness.
Excellent piece! Doing things that rejuvenate you is not the same as the never-ending-slog-of-a-to-do list. I grew up with slogging as a badge of honor and years of therapy have helped me sort that out. Rest and rejuvenation. Different.
Yes! This! “Self care” for me is not a bubble bath. It might be checking shit off a to-do list, or hiking, biking, gardening, fiber arts, crafts, or baking. Most likely not anything that involves sitting still. Also, I have to call rest days “recovery days”, because rest just isn’t in my vernacular.