Rest. Not a common topic for millennials, if you ask me. 

But who’s to blame? Even if we do find a moment to sit down to rest, somehow we (or, I) find myself instead… scanning snapchat, scrolling instagram, stalking Facebook, and by the time that’s over, I feel even more stressed out than before I decided to take a moment to rest.

[Did you catch the alliteration? Scanning, scrolling, stalking, leading to: …stressing.]

Coming from the queen of to-do lists, I felt like my life was flipped upside down in 2016 when I was taught one of the most important principles of all time:  rest. And after getting such an (uh-mazing) reaction to my health journey post, I thought it was only appropriate to give you girls a pop of inspo on my personal journey to find rest. So after months of practice–here is what I’ve got. Let’s take a shot at it:

1. Mindfulness: Personally, I believe peace goes hand-in-hand with rest. When we find peace, we can be at rest and vice versa. Knowing that I don’t need to be nose deep into my iPhone checking out what the rest of the world is up to in order to find my personal peace was most definitely my step #1 to finding rest. Mindfulness is being aware of what brings you peace. Mine is spiritual: but whatever it may be for you, it simply starts with awareness. I encourage you to have a think on that one. What is the definition of peace in your mind and where does it come from?
2. Find your happy place: This is so cheesy, but it just feels so right. Your happy place–what is it? That one place you can turn off all outside noises and just simply be. Some of my favorites: a clean coffee shop with soft music and a good book or devotional, a lights-out bubble bath with candles (this is my favorite, if you follow me on snapchat you know how much I love these), and quiet places in nature such as the 360 overlook or the ocean. Find them, note them, and revisit them.
3. Spend your time wisely: we only have so much energy in one day. Coming from someone who was diagnosed with chronic stress and fatigue, I had little to none. I had to take a step back and re-evaluate: “Where am I asserting my energy and is this serving me?” This is personal to everyone’s journey, but take your day-to-day regime and analyze where you feel like you’re losing the most energy and where you’re gaining. Then readjust.
4. Say no to games: I’m talking about the comparison game. Growing up in the era of social media has come hand-in-hand with a burden and that is: there’s always going to be someone else and she or he may or may not be doing it better. Rewind back to the “old days” when you didn’t know everyone else’s agenda (sigh, ignorance is bliss) — but fast forward to today’s age and we most definitely do. Turn on the blinders to what the rest of the world is doing.
5. Eat clean: Here Jessi goes on one of her food talks… I can see your eyes rolling. But I’m going to stop you there: after cutting out a lot of inflammatory foods (dairy, gluten, sugars) this past year, I’ve noticed quite the effect on my health. This goes from anxiety, to stress, to insomnia, and fatigue — understanding that our minds are correlated to our stomachs and what we eat is sending messages to our brains. Eating clean allows your body to rest; and your health is just as important as your daily to-do’s.
6. Hit refresh: One entrepreneur once told me that every 90 days, you should take a quiet vacation away from all technology. Leave the cell phones turned off for 72 hours and find time to just simply be. Find yourself in prayer, meditation, brainstorming, whatever — but resting in this stage is a catalyst for creativity, faith, and optimism.
7. Be thankful in the midst of adversity: Easier said than done, but it is that simple — a trick that most definitely works when seeking personal peace (especially when you find yourself overthinking.)

Would love to hear how you guys find rest!

XO Jessi

all images via pinterest { 1 / 2 / 3 }