Resting in routine

I know my type of self-care and rest now.

It’s routine.

Most think rest as passive, sedentary, lying in bed till lunch, chillaxing to Netflix on the couch at night, spa, candles, aromatherapy, long bath tub baths, organic food, fresh fruit juices, and lots and lots of doing nothing.

Couldn’t be further from the truth. At least for me. But I think for many too.

Active rest is better. It circulates out the old, circulate in with the new. Which is 100% what rest is about. Not moving doesn’t help with circulation. At all.

Not gonna lie, I was feeling burned out after my trip. I never thought I’d say this, but I thrive more in my boring routines than when travelling. So going back to my routine for a week now really helped ground me, get me back to myself, and build back some sanity and space.

The routine really is like an elevator.

It moves you forward and up, with little effort. You still get to complete tasks, stay productive, eat, sleep, drink well, even though you’re so exhausted you wished you don’t need to move. Every day the world exacts a hefty drain on your energy, and routines keep that leak in check. That’s the power of routine. It’s a flywheel. Once spinning, it takes less energy to keep it in motion. Needing less energy at living means you got more surplus energy for other things. Like rest, like taking it easy, like self-care.

Outwardly, I look like the most boring person ever. Same lunch. Same coffee. Same habits. Day in, day out. Ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

But inwardly, the boring routines and crazy consistency helps me to thrive.

And flourish.