Rethinking Rest, Relaxation, & Wellness
works for you and that may include thinking you’ve found the answer only to realize “eh, maybe I need something else”. For example, maybe you wanted to incorporate more yoga into your routine, but after a couple of weeks of trying, you find that you’re no longer looking forward to yoga and now dread the thought of having to do yoga. Did you fail? No! You just gathered
a chore! Do you know someone that loves to read? Create a book club! Do you know someone who is well versed in an activity that you’ve been wanting to try? Ask if you can join them next time! Want to cook more? Host a monthly dinner party with friends! My personal life hack when it came to my morning walks was having my significant
other join me; now we look forward to our walks together even if we choose to walk in silence. Allow Yourself to Evolve: The person you are today may be a completely different person in a year from now and that includes what you need to prioritize your wellness! Don’t put yourself in a box. It is okay to get tired of something that used to serve you well; it just means you’ve evolved into needing something else. By taking small and consistent steps to improve your overall
information that says it is time to switch it up. As long as you are responding to the information your body and mind are giving you, you are progressing. Remember: striving for consistent progress is more important than striving for impossible perfection. Improving Your Wellness is Not Linear: When you find yourself responding well to any new habit or routine, there will be a time when life throws you for a loop. You may feel like you’re “regressing” in your wellness and not being as consistent as you once were, which can lead to internal guilt and shame. Do NOT let those negative thoughts win! You’re not human if you don’t go through the peaks and
“Don’t discredit a small start; you may feel like you’re not doing much in the beginning, but it will be easier to build upon these habits than going full throttle from the start.”
valleys of self-care and self-development. Consider these times of life as just a bump in the road; you’re still on the same road and heading to the same place regardless of any setback! Focus on the first three tips shared above when this happens! Incorporate Others: Finding others who are interested in the same things as you or are on the same journey as you can really help you create habits that don’t feel like such
wellness and to change your mindset around rest and relaxation, you hopefully will find yourself actually recharged. With so much in life being out of our control, it is best that we put our energy towards what we can control to make life a little less stressful and to make our mental and physical state a little more stable. There is no finish line to prioritizing your overall well-being, so creating life-long habits of self-care and fulfillment will benefit you immensely!
Stefanie Giannini, MA, SNS | IVATI, Founder; Director of Food & Nutrition Services (IL) Stefanie Giannini, founder of IVATI, is a speaker, educator, and content creator on a mission to inspire and cultivate every individual’s identity and development as a leader; she holds a fierce passion for personal and professional growth, critical reflection, and building quality relationships. Stefanie holds a Bachelor’s in Food & Nutrition Management from Arizona State University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership and Learning from George Washington University. In addition to her work with IVATI, she works in the school nutrition industry as the Director of Food & Nutrition Services for a K-8 school district in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
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