The Courage to Rest – Warrior Mind Podcast #618

Over 10 years and going strong! With over 2M downloads from over 18 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast, I’m continuing a series on peak performance. Today we’re going to talk about having the courage to rest.

Courage to Rest

Grow Your Mindful Muscle with Mediation

Find a time when other distractions are minimized, i.e., first thing in the morning, before bed, transition between work and home.
Sit in a comfortable position, in a quite space (or use noise cancelation earbuds/headphones).
Set a timer to keep your mind free from wondering how much longer.
Begin breathing deeply, make the exhale longer than then in inhale, i.e., in to a count of 4, exhale to a count of 6.
Focus only on the breath (and perhaps the counting). If you wander, bring your attention back to the breath.
Begin with 1 minute.
Repeat daily, remember, frequency trumps duration. It’s far more effective to mediate everyday for 1 minute than mediate once a week for 10 minutes.

Apply Your Growing Mindful Muscle in Your Everyday Life

Have a calm internal dialogue during stressful situations; remember that you are separate from your emotions.
Practice identifying the specific emotion you are feeling. Use the feeling wheel to help articulate the exact emotion.
- https://www.betterup.com/blog/emotion-wheel
Be aware when you want to “turn it off” and then choose to leave stress behind. Taking a few deep breaths helps because it activates the pre-frontal cortex, your brains’ executive function center.

Enjoy this Podcast on having the courage to rest.

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More on having the courage to rest.

Take Small Breaks and Let Your Subconscious do its’ Thing

When you are working on a strenuous task and hit an impasse, have the courage to step away…for a bit.
- Step away from whatever you’re doing for at least 5 minutes.
- The more stressful the task, the longer the break.
- For really taxing tasks, consider stepping away until the next day.
During your breaks, perform activities that demand little to no focus.
- Go on a short walk.
- Sit in nature.
- Meditate.
- Recover socially.
- Listen to music.
- Take a shower.
- Do the dishes.
You may have an “aha” moment during your break. If you do, great! If you don’t, know that your subconscious is still working on the challenge. When you return you’re more likely to make progress.