How To Rest Like a Pro

Most of us coaches combine several roles in our professional lives. We not only lead coaching sessions with clients, but we also run our own businesses, doing all of the work connected with marketing and selling, having supervision and constantly learning and training to keep our qualifications up to date. Often it means switching from one type of work to another several times during the day. This is especially true at the beginning of a coaching journey when lots of coaches have a full-time job alongside growing their own private practice. How can we find the balance amid all of this?

Nowadays, when being busy is seen as being part of a fashionable lifestyle, resting has become a luxurious pleasure. It’s either on the very end of our to-do list or it makes us feel guilty. Some of us may have a feeling of losing precious time when they could be working towards their goals and aspirations. It’s easy to fall into the trap of postponing a rest until the moment when we have achieved all the things we hoped we would. But working until we are on our last legs makes us uncreative and distracted, and is simply a highway to burnout. So how can we stay fresh and focused, in order to serve our clients in the best possible way?

First and foremost, know yourself! Learn to notice the signs of upcoming energy drop. It could be a yawn, headache, hunger pang or lack of concentration. Then, react fast and take care of yourself. Drinking another coffee isn’t the best choice here; choose water instead. Give yourself a short break. For example look out the window, take a deep breath, close your eyes, take a nap, have a face massage, go for a walk, do a few yoga poses or meditate. These are just a few general ideas but think about your own personal quick fixes that will help you get back on track between sessions with clients.

Then, incorporate more rest into your schedule, and make it one of your top priorities. Our bodies and brains don’t work effectively if they are never given a chance to recover. In your free time, get out of your office and do something fun. Leave the house and visit friends. Spend some time surrounded by nature, take care of your garden, or play with your pets or children. Believe me, it will be refreshing! Let yourself do something purposeless and pleasurable. Read a fiction book, soak in a bath, listen to music, exercise moderately. Stay away from social media and television—these are not relaxing at all. Your brain can never fully relax if you’re constantly overloading it with a barrage of unnecessary information.

When you work hard, you need to rest hard as well, so make work-free weekends your rule. And, last but not least, don’t forget to take days off! Do it intentionally—make a plan and execute it. Organize short breaks of just two days off here or there. Then, organize a week (or weeks) away, and really try not to plan a house renovation for this time. Go on a vacation instead. Change your surroundings, and do so regularly. Don’t worry that it will negatively influence your business; instead it will give you the perspective and energy that you need to thrive. After all, proper rest is an essential component of top quality work.