It’s The Little Things: Resting
Photo by Lina Kivaka from Pexels
When fostering beauty with intention, it’s all about the “little things” — regardless of whether in work, play, or even rest. A soft blanket in which to snuggle. A mug that fits in your hands just right, like getting a hug as you cradle your warm cuppa. As much as grand gestures can feel like the things that will make a big difference, it really is the little things that make a life.
They’re atomic in both senses of the word. Simple habits, surroundings, and companions along the journey unquestionably form the textures, tastes, and soundscapes of our ordinary days. In previous posts in this series, we first considered the power of the little things in all things food and table, and then in work and the workplace.
Today, we focus on rest. What are the little things that help us to foster rest in our daily and weekly rhythms?
01 | Teatime.
I simply must begin with teatime. This is my own personal favorite as far as rhythms of rest go. Not only do I have weekend teatimes with my husband, but I even prioritize a daily rest from my work through teatime.
As just noted, there are both weekday and weekend versions of teatime. I highly encourage you to practice both if you can. If you prefer coffee, feel free to make that swap — the point is to slow down over a calming, comforting cup of something warm. Allow your soul to breathe. Take some time to rest and delight, even in the midst of a busy workday.
This may be midmorning or mid-afternoon, depending on when you feel you could most use that refreshing break. I prefer midmorning since I begin my day quite early. By 9:00 or 9:30 a.m., I’m ready for a thorough half-hour rest from the taxing mental work of writing and research.
While not all of us have the flexibility to spare 30 minutes each workday for a break that isn’t lunch, I encourage you — even if it’s just five minutes — to take a tea or coffee break in which you set aside the computer, the work, and simply rest. Just be.
Weekend versions of teatime can be more extended and elaborate than the weekday variety, but they need not be as extravagant as a typical British afternoon tea, complete with three tiers of finger-sized delights. As lovely as this is — and certainly encouraged from time to time! — a weekend teatime may simply be you and loved ones fathering over a shared pot of tea, complemented by something freshly baked (even if you didn’t bake it yourself).
Tea has a way of calming and nourishing the soul, of fostering rest, and drawing out good conversation.
02 | Naps.
Never underestimate the power of a good nap. While I think we’ve all experienced the downside of napping for too long, there can be a great pleasure — and benefit — from a well-timed nap. In part, the key is to listen to your body. When you’re fighting to keep your eyes open midway through the workday, maybe 15 minutes will help you feel refreshed! Give it a try.
Weekend naps can feel like a small indulgence as well. While I certainly don’t recommend relying on naps to counterbalance chronic sleep debt, there are certainly times and places for a power nap — not merely to help you “keep going,” but also to help you work “smarter” rather than “harder”. So, take care. Listen to your body and be kind to it.
03 | Baths.
Like naps, baths also feel like a “little thing” luxury, especially when you spice them up a bit with a few extra little things — think candles, a bath pillow (or rolled up towel), Epsom salt, essential oils.
Go a step further and treat yourself to a spa experience with a tasty add-on as well. A very little will go a long way! For example, sometimes I give myself a couple pieces of dark chocolate, even a few ounces of wine if I have a bottle open.
Oh, and don’t forget a relaxing playlist. Bath-friendly vibes include Spotify’s “Tranquility” playlist, “Bath, Piano and Relax,” a variety of relaxing jazz like “Jazz for Reading,” and if you’re up for lyrics, try searching for romantic 40s playlists. Ella Fitzgerald, anyone?
04 | Reading for pleasure.
Some of us may be terrific at remembering to prioritize reading a good piece of literature. Others, not so much. Unfortunately, fiction has often fallen by the wayside in my own life since I have such a demand to read lots of non-fiction for my schooling.
But a good fiction and poetry are near indispensable. They’re life on a page. What power is held in a seemingly “little” thing. I don’t mean to denigrate good literature by calling it “little” — in many ways it’s anything but little. But it perhaps is a “little thing” in the simplicity of engaging it.
We need only pull a book off the shelf, borrow one from a friend, or visit our local library for the opportunity to visit different places, times in history, even different worlds from our own. Settle into a novel that takes you climbing the downs of 19th-century Devonshire, strolling the streets of Revolutionary Paris, walking the woods of Lothlorien, or browsing the libraries of Rivendell.
And we don’t merely travel; we also find ourselves known. The best novels capture the human plight so well it steals your breath — well-crafted words that make you feel deeply seen. Let me also humbly encourage you to seek out time-tested pieces of classic fiction — those which stand as bulwarks in every new age that comes and goes.
While there is some value in “popular” fiction, there’s an incomparable richness to the classics that can only be appreciated by first tasting, by then drinking of the fount oneself.
05 | Heart-to-hearts.
We tend to underestimate the power of conversation with a friend. While people who are largely self-centered or needy can be a significant drain on us emotionally, leaving us spent, spending time with kindred spirits can leave us feeling filled to overflowing.
Obviously, in-person meetings are the loveliest of all, but geographic distance ought not to be a barrier to connection. If you can be spontaneous with a meet-up or conversation, by all means, do so! But even if you need to schedule a time to chat, as many of us do, don’t hesitate to prioritize time spent having meaningful conversation with those you care about and with whom you share much in common.
When fostering rest, it is so valuable to connect with those who see us, those who “get” us.
06 | Keeping Sabbath.
This is arguably not all that “little” but I think it deserves to make it onto this list. Keeping Sabbath is one of the single most powerful — if not the most powerful — little choices that shape and enable rest.
When I was in college, I remember facing the difficult decision day after day: “When can I rest? Is it okay to rest today? Or should I rest tomorrow, or the next day?” I had so much vying for my attention, so much that I had on my plate, that I didn’t even feel like I could rest. I didn’t think I had the time.
But I knew I needed to — I wouldn’t make it without some rest. It was nearly impossible to figure out when I could “let myself” rest since every moment had both a sense of urgency to keep working and a felt desire to cease striving so I could catch my breath.
Sabbath is what helped me to stop struggling to negotiate my rest. Once I knew that Sunday was homework-free, I could press on during the weekdays, knowing I could rest then. In addition to Sabbath once a week, it can be significant to choose windows of time in the evening that are set aside for rest (or elsewhere, if you’re a night owl).
As an early bird, I typically reserve the time after dinner for rest along with my weekly Sabbath. These pockets and days set aside and earmarked for rest make it clear when we ought to and can keep going in the tasks at hand, again, receiving the comfort from knowing rest will come.
In short…
As you seek to foster rest this week and beyond, know that you have a bounty of “little” options from which you can choose — do so according to your felt need. Is your body fatigued? Maybe a nap or bath is a good choice. Are you feeling emotionally spent and in need of soothing input? Trying reading for pleasure or connecting with a good friend. Teatime is a solid bet for anytime, and I encourage you, if you’re not already practicing a weekly Sabbath (and daily portions of margin), do yourself and your loved ones an enormous favor and make space for it.
