M. Suzanne Terry

There are few sounds that soothe me more than the sound of a record playing.

The perfect relaxing evening for me is the calm trifecta – records playing with a good book and soothing beverage in hand. I love evenings like this. I don’t get them every day, though, so do I just accept that I’m going to be stressed out until I can get to my next relaxing evening? Oh, no. That would be madness.

Rest is more than sleeping and taking time off. It doesn’t have to take large chunks of time that you have set aside. There are ways to incorporate a state of restfulness into your day, and they don’t have to be complicated. Doing so helps you maintain some of the balance and bypass some of the (*W#&(*#(@)Q! I don’t know about you, but I could do with a little less punctuational angst.

Mostly, restfulness hinges on something simple like remembering to take breaks. In said break, you can stretch, clear your head, breathe, or do any number of things that calm you down. Sometimes, you can do them right at your desk.

Part of the reason I am listing something that I do to rest everyday is to remind myself to take breaks. Most of the things I mention are longer activities, but I don’t want to discount the small things, because they add up.

So today, my restful act is remembering to take a few 5-minute breaks during the workday. So far, I’ve taken two, and it’s amazing how much more relaxed I feel than usual. Sounds like something I may want to consider making a part of every day.

I’m spending 31 days running wild.