What’s something that really helps you feel energized in the morning?
Do you ever give yourself a moment to reset during the day?
Today, Jay shares a powerful reminder, rest isn’t something you need to earn, it’s something you absolutely need. If you’ve ever felt guilty for taking a break or felt like you had to justify a vacation, this conversation challenges that mindset and offers a refreshing shift. Rest is not a luxury, it's the fuel for everything we do. Just like your phone needs to recharge, your body, mind, and soul require consistent, intentional recovery.
Jay offers simple, practical habits you can start using right away to feel more rested and centered. From scheduling micro-breaks throughout your day, trying out the box breathing method, to practicing the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to bring yourself back to the moment, these tools are small shifts that can make a big difference. You’ll also be encouraged to create tech-free spaces, embrace short daily walks in nature, and carve out intentional pauses in your schedule.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to Schedule Micro-Breaks Every 60–90 Minutes
How to Redefine Rest as a Need, Not a Reward
How to Release Guilt and Shame Around Taking Breaks
How to Hydrate and Refocus During Short Breaks
How to Reframe Rest as a Tool for Productivity and Creativity
Making space to breathe, reflect, and recover won’t just help you feel better, it will help you show up better, think clearer, and live more purposefully.
With Love and Gratitude,
Jay Shetty
Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here.
Join Jay for his first ever, On Purpose Live Tour! Tickets are on sale now. Hope to see you there!
What We Discuss:
00:00 Intro
01:20 When Was The Last Time You Felt Truly Rested?
03:39 Regular Breaks Increase Productivity And Creativity
06:21 Rest Isn't Something You Earn, It’s Something You Need
07:53 #1: Set The Habit Of A Micro Break
11:15 #2: Practice Intentional Breathing Exercises
12:49 #3: Spend Time In A Mindfulness Practice
15:47 #4: Establish Tech-Free Zones in Your Home
18:55 Rest Is A Necessity, Not A Luxury
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When you're feeling stressed and your head is spinning. Tried
this out because the Journal of Psychology in twenty twenty
found that mindfulness reduces anxiety by up to fifty eight percent.
Imagine if you were fifty eight percent less anxious. The
number one health and wellness podcast, Say Sety Jay set
(00:23):
Jay Sious, Hey, thank you so much for coming back
to on Purpose to listen, learn and grow today's episode.
As you know, it is all about finding that reset,
finding that deep rest, that boost that we so need.
(00:46):
Let me start by asking you a question, when was
the last time you truly felt rested, That you truly
felt relaxed, he felt free, not just sleep, but real,
genuine rest, that low heart rate, that calm, that deep breath. Naturally,
(01:14):
I want you to try and lock into it right now.
In hell and exhal we all need rest, But in
our hustle centric culture, it's become harder and harder to
(01:35):
find deep rest, and in our stressful schedule, it can
be so manic to try and find rest or a
boost of energy even in the day. It's become so
hard that in the United States, a significant number of
workers don't fully utilize their annual paid vacation time. According
(02:01):
to a twenty twenty four study, sixty two percent of
Americans with paid time off did not use all their
vacation days, with five point five percent not taking any
time off at all. Access to paid vacation varies across
different sectors. In twenty twenty four, eighty eight percent of
(02:23):
full time employees had access to paid vacation, whereas only
forty percent of part time employees had the same benefit.
But here's the interesting part. The underutilization of vacation time
is often attributed to workplace culture. A Pew Reset Center
survey found that more than four in ten US workers
(02:47):
don't take all their paid time off, with reasons including
concerns about falling behind at work or feeling guilty about
co workers taking on additional work. And this, my friend, obviously,
highlights the importance of encouraging a healthy work life balance
and promoting the use of earned vacation time to support
(03:09):
employee wellbeing. Now here's the top line. We all need vacations,
we all need breaks, and I encourage you to take
those and at the same time, in this episode, I
want to give you practical, actionable steps to find that break,
find that relief in the every day while you're building
(03:32):
up and waiting for that vacation. It's so important to
find that rest in your day. We all know that
there's a big impact and correlation between daily rest and productivity,
mental health, and physical health. Harvard Business Review in twenty
nineteen found that regular breaks increase productivity and creativity by
(03:57):
up to forty percent. Just think about that for a second.
If you were forty percent more productive and more creative,
what could you achieve? What would the difference be in
your output? What would the quality of your output be?
That's nearly half more productive and creative. You could save
(04:19):
half the time that you spend struggling, feeling overworked, feeling overwhelmed,
feeling stressed, to actually be more effective. Right, Think about that?
Forty percent more productive and creative. And according to the
American Psychological Association, just fifteen to twenty minutes of daily
(04:40):
rest can reduce stress hormones significantly, just fifteen to twenty minutes. But,
as I said earlier, we're blocked by something. We're blocked
by the shame and guilt. Do we deserve rest? Have
we earned it? Have we done enough? We're worried that
(05:01):
our coworkers may take on more work, and some of
us are worried that when they travel, we take on
more work. So we're blocked by these ideas, these mindsets
that we've created, that we need to let go of,
that we need to push away, because without rest, without recovery,
it's extremely, extremely difficult to make a difference. So imagine
(05:25):
if fifteen to twenty minutes a day could change everything,
And imagine if you had forty percent more creativity and productivity.
What could you achieve? But where does that pressure come from?
The fact that we think we need to achieve rest
is the challenge, that's the problem. The fact that we
(05:46):
believe we need to earn rest. Rest is not something
you earn, it's something you need. It's something you actually need.
It's almost like saying, does your phone get charged and
it's earned the charge. No, it's used energy and therefore
it needs to charge. You don't look at your phone
(06:08):
and say you've earned a recharge today. You've deserved a
refuel today. You've worked for it. Right, you've worked so
hard today, I'm gonna put you on charge. No, we
know that our phone needs charging. We're aware that our
phone needs recovery. We're aware that our phone needs an
update or a refuel, or whatever it may be, but
(06:30):
so many of us will spend so much time and
energy feeling shameful and guilty for giving ourselves a break,
for giving ourselves a moment of rest or recovery. I
want you to remove that guilt. I want you to
remove that shame. You don't deserve rest, you didn't earn it.
(06:51):
You need it. Your body physically needs it, your mind
mentally needs it, your soul spiritually needs it, your emotions
need it. Right, we actually need it. So I want
to start there, and I want you to almost repeat
after me. Rest is something I need, not something I
(07:13):
need to earn. Rest is something I need, not something
I need to earn. Rest is something my body needs,
not something I need to earn. We need to get really,
really clear on that, because when we get clear on that,
we don't cancel our vacations, we don't skip rest, we
(07:34):
don't compromise on sleep because we realize our body and
mind need it. Now, what I want to share with
you are some practical tips as to how you can
do that in your day to day as you're building
up towards a vacation. As you're looking forward to something
in the summer, what do you do on a weekly
and daily basis. Here's one that's really important. I want
(07:56):
you to set a habit of a micro break. Think
about your calendar. In your calendar, you're constantly putting in meetings,
and if your calendar looks anything like mine, it's meeting
after meeting after meeting. Here's an actionable tip. Every sixty
to ninety minutes, take a two to five minute break
(08:19):
and put it in your schedule. Literally, put a scheduled
five minute break in your calendar every sixty to ninety minutes.
And in this break, you're gonna walk, look out of
a window, and you're gonna drink some water. You're gonna
get hydrated. You're gonna look out into the distance, not
look at your phone, look outside of a screen, and
(08:40):
you're gonna walk. You're gonna move. Whether you're booking your
next trip or planning a quick weekend escape, Chase Sapphire
Reserve is your ultimate travel companion. Today we're diving into
the travel experience, and let me tell you, there's a
lot to love when you're out exploring new destination. One
of the most rewarding parts of the journey is not
(09:03):
just the places you visit, but the experiences you have
along the way. Whether you're grabbing a bike at a
hidden gem of a restaurant or jetting off to a
dream destination, every step of the adventure should feel like
a reward. That's where Chase Sapphire Reserve comes in. Traveling
is all about convenience, comfort, and making the most of
(09:25):
your time, whether it's finding the best hotel for a
last minute trip or getting a table at that exclusive
spot you've been eyeing for months, and with Chase Sapphire Reserve,
everything from booking flights to dining out is made even better.
It's like having a trusted travel companion that makes sure
you're always taking care of think about it. No more
(09:48):
stressing about where to stay, what to eat, or what
perks you might be missing out on. With Chase Saphire Reserve,
the experience is seamless. You can simply focus on the
fund parts of travel, like discovering the best food spots,
exploring new cities, or just having the most relaxing vacation
you deserve. If you want to learn more about how
(10:10):
Chase Sapphire Reserve can transform your travel experience. Head to
Chase dot Com forward slash Sapphire Reserve no matter your
destination dreams, Chase Sapphire offers exclusive rewards and experiences so
you can explore the world your way discover more with
Chase Sapphire Reserve. University of Illinois found that brief breaks
(10:34):
dramatically boost focus. A lot of us say to ourselves, Okay,
I will wait till the end of the week. I'll
wait till the end of the month, I'll wait till
the end of the quarter. In sometimes you can be
waiting forever. We have to train ourselves to create regular breaks.
And I would even argue that when you're planning your
year out, you need to schedule your vacation time, even
(10:56):
if it's a long weekend, even if it's just a daybreak,
whatever it's going to be for you, we need to
schedule it out. You need it every quarter to take
a small break. You need that vacation once a year
right to be totally switched off. It makes a huge difference.
The second one that's been huge for me is intentional
(11:19):
breathing exercises. One of my favorite actionable tips is the
box breathing technique where you in helle for four seconds,
you hold for four seconds, you excel for four seconds,
and you hold for four seconds. Let's try it out
together in hell two three four, hold two three four
(11:47):
out two three four hold two three four. A simple
exercise like that. The NIH research shows it immediately reduces
cortisol sometimes. What's really interesting about our overwork and not
(12:10):
taking a break is our cortisole levels are going through
the roof the reason we're struggling with weight loss or
weight control, the reason we're struggling with the tension in
our body. So much of it comes down to stress
and a few simple breaths can begin to relieve you
(12:30):
of that stress, to relieve you of that pressure, to
relieve you of that tension. And I would encourage you
to try it out simply when you're feeling stressed. You
know you can't take a long break right now, just
try box breathing now. One of my favorite personal techniques
(12:52):
when it comes to this is to spend time in
a mindfulness practice. And my favorite favorite favorite technique is
called the five four three two one technique. In this technique,
when you're feeling stressed and your head is spinning, try
(13:13):
this out. Five things you can see. Observe the colors,
the shapes, the sizes, the shades. Look around at five
things you can see. What are four things you can touch?
Notice the textures? Is something harsh or is it soft?
(13:41):
Is it rough or is it seamless? And at the
same time, is it cool? Is it warm? Allow the
sense of touch to bring you into the present moment.
What are three things you can hear right now? What
(14:11):
are two things you can smell? And what's one thing
you can taste? What's so important about this is you
can bring yourself back to the present moment with the
simple five four, three to one technique. And why is
(14:35):
this even more powerful? When it comes to rest, you
automatically feel like you've taken a little break, You've made
yourself aware of your surroundings and brought yourself into the moment.
Try it out, because all the studies show that mindfulness
(14:56):
reduces anxiety by up to fifty eight percent. The Journal
of Psychology in twenty twenty found that mindfulness reduces anxiety
by up to fifty eight percent. Imagine if you were
fifty eight percent less anxious, what could you achieve? What
(15:18):
could you do? Who would you be a simple five
four three two one technique can bring you back into
your body and make your mind feel rested. What I'm
sharing here are really simple, actionable, practical techniques that you
can start doing right now. These are simple practices that
(15:42):
any and all of us can easily experience today. One
of my favorites. The next one is tech free zones.
This is something I recommend to parents with young kids,
and it's even something I recommend. A cup study by
Sleep Health in twenty eighteen found on improved sleep and
(16:06):
reduced anxiety with less screen exposure. Establish one hour per
day as tech free and one zone in your home
as tech free. So let's say the kitchen table, the
dining table is always tech free. That is your tech
(16:27):
free hour to sit, connect, talk to your partner, eat,
digest your food, spend time with your family, and make
it meaningful too. Don't just make it a negative au
we can't use technology here. Make it a positive. Maybe
you're going to discuss the funniest TikTok you saw today
and you have to describe it to each other without
showing it. Maybe you're going to talk about something that
(16:50):
happened as a highlight in each of your days today.
Maybe you're going to take this opportunity to share something
you really appreciate about each other. This habit, it boosts
energy and makes us feel rested in the most incredible ways.
We are overwhelmed, we are over consuming, we are oversubscribed,
(17:10):
and therefore we are exhausted. If you had one hour
of your day that was tech free and one zone
in your home that was tech free, you would feel
so much more rested. On a daily basis, you would
find a whole new influx of energy that you never
knew existed before. And so many of us are missing
(17:31):
out on this. So many of us don't realize the
value of this because we can't remember the last time
we were without our phones for an hour, just an hour,
and the day. It could be in the morning, could
be in the evening. Whatever works for you, but it
will give you such a break. Give it a go,
and for those of you who really want to take
it to the next level, nature exposure. A Stanford University
(17:55):
study in twenty fifteen found that nature walks significantly low
anxiety and depression. Last night, min RADI went on a
one hour walk in the evening, and I can truly
say that it was so beautiful. I rested better, felt calmer.
It was a great end to the day. And hey,
I can't do that every single day. I can't do
(18:17):
an hour walk every single day. But an actionable tip
is a ten minute walk outside daily. A ten minutes
walk outside will relax you more. Movement can actually help
you rest if it's outdoors and you're allowing yourself to
just experience nature, whether it's looking at trees and marrying
(18:38):
the birds, whatever it may be. These are simple habits
to find rest and refuel throughout the day as you're
waiting and looking forward to that vacation, as you can't
be more than excited about it. This is a really,
really simple step. Now we've talked about the practical habits,
(18:58):
but let's talk about the shame and get of rest again.
Maybe your parents never rested, Maybe they're always working. Maybe
they're pressure on you to do the same. Maybe you're
scared of falling behind. Well, whatever it is, here's the reality.
You're more likely to fall behind if you never rest.
(19:20):
You're more likely to lose focus, if you never take
a break, You're more likely to be less productive and efficient.
If you don't refuel, recovery is part of an athlete strategy.
Recovery is part of an athlete's ability. You've got to
(19:45):
be good at recovery in order to be good to play. So,
for those of you that want to win, that want
to hustle, that want to achieve more than everyone else,
imagine what you could do with rest. Not over indulgent rest,
not laziness, but the ability to refuel, refine, and renew
(20:06):
will actually make you more successful and effective. Now, for
those of you that feel you have to earn it,
that feel that you don't deserve it, that feel that
there's shame and guilt attached to it, ask yourself, where
does that come from? Did you always feel that if
you didn't work hard you were lazy? Did you feel
that people who take breaks are less effective and productive?
(20:30):
What was it for you? Get to the root of it,
And as I was saying, for a lot of us,
it's just shame and guilt of I haven't earned it,
I don't need it. I've got to do something for
everyone else. So many of us are good at solving
everyone else's problems but not paying attention to our own.
So this is a way, and this is your reminder,
(20:52):
it's just something your body needs. Think about your laptop
when it's on low battery again. It will remind you
to never compromise on rest. Rest is productive, Rest is effective.
Rest is a necessity, not a luxury. When you compromise
(21:15):
your rest, you compromise everything else. You can't bring your
best to everything if you didn't make time to rest.
I want you to remember that. Hope that helps you.
I hope it serves you, and I hope it makes
a difference in your life. And I'm so grateful that
we've got to spend this time together today. Thank you
(21:35):
for listening. Thank you so much for listening to this conversation.
If you enjoyed it, you'll love my chat with Adam
Grant on why discomfort is the key to growth and
the strategies for unlocking your hidden potential. If you know
you want to be more and achieve more this year,
go check it out right now. You set a goal today,
(21:56):
you achieve it in six months, and then by the
time it happens, it's almost a relief. There's no sense
of meaning and purpose. You sort of expected it, and
you would have been disappointed if it didn't happen.
When you're feeling stressed and your head is spinning. Tried
this out because the Journal of Psychology in twenty twenty
found that mindfulness reduces anxiety by up to fifty eight percent.
Imagine if you were fifty eight percent less anxious. The
number one health and wellness podcast, Say Sety Jay set
(00:23):
Jay Sious, Hey, thank you so much for coming back
to on Purpose to listen, learn and grow today's episode.
As you know, it is all about finding that reset,
finding that deep rest, that boost that we so need.
(00:46):
Let me start by asking you a question, when was
the last time you truly felt rested, That you truly
felt relaxed, he felt free, not just sleep, but real,
genuine rest, that low heart rate, that calm, that deep breath. Naturally,
(01:14):
I want you to try and lock into it right now.
In hell and exhal we all need rest, But in
our hustle centric culture, it's become harder and harder to
(01:35):
find deep rest, and in our stressful schedule, it can
be so manic to try and find rest or a
boost of energy even in the day. It's become so
hard that in the United States, a significant number of
workers don't fully utilize their annual paid vacation time. According
(02:01):
to a twenty twenty four study, sixty two percent of
Americans with paid time off did not use all their
vacation days, with five point five percent not taking any
time off at all. Access to paid vacation varies across
different sectors. In twenty twenty four, eighty eight percent of
(02:23):
full time employees had access to paid vacation, whereas only
forty percent of part time employees had the same benefit.
But here's the interesting part. The underutilization of vacation time
is often attributed to workplace culture. A Pew Reset Center
survey found that more than four in ten US workers
(02:47):
don't take all their paid time off, with reasons including
concerns about falling behind at work or feeling guilty about
co workers taking on additional work. And this, my friend, obviously,
highlights the importance of encouraging a healthy work life balance
and promoting the use of earned vacation time to support
(03:09):
employee wellbeing. Now here's the top line. We all need vacations,
we all need breaks, and I encourage you to take
those and at the same time, in this episode, I
want to give you practical, actionable steps to find that break,
find that relief in the every day while you're building
(03:32):
up and waiting for that vacation. It's so important to
find that rest in your day. We all know that
there's a big impact and correlation between daily rest and productivity,
mental health, and physical health. Harvard Business Review in twenty
nineteen found that regular breaks increase productivity and creativity by
(03:57):
up to forty percent. Just think about that for a second.
If you were forty percent more productive and more creative,
what could you achieve? What would the difference be in
your output? What would the quality of your output be?
That's nearly half more productive and creative. You could save
(04:19):
half the time that you spend struggling, feeling overworked, feeling overwhelmed,
feeling stressed, to actually be more effective. Right, Think about that?
Forty percent more productive and creative. And according to the
American Psychological Association, just fifteen to twenty minutes of daily
(04:40):
rest can reduce stress hormones significantly, just fifteen to twenty minutes. But,
as I said earlier, we're blocked by something. We're blocked
by the shame and guilt. Do we deserve rest? Have
we earned it? Have we done enough? We're worried that
(05:01):
our coworkers may take on more work, and some of
us are worried that when they travel, we take on
more work. So we're blocked by these ideas, these mindsets
that we've created, that we need to let go of,
that we need to push away, because without rest, without recovery,
it's extremely, extremely difficult to make a difference. So imagine
(05:25):
if fifteen to twenty minutes a day could change everything,
And imagine if you had forty percent more creativity and productivity.
What could you achieve? But where does that pressure come from?
The fact that we think we need to achieve rest
is the challenge, that's the problem. The fact that we
(05:46):
believe we need to earn rest. Rest is not something
you earn, it's something you need. It's something you actually need.
It's almost like saying, does your phone get charged and
it's earned the charge. No, it's used energy and therefore
it needs to charge. You don't look at your phone
(06:08):
and say you've earned a recharge today. You've deserved a
refuel today. You've worked for it. Right, you've worked so
hard today, I'm gonna put you on charge. No, we
know that our phone needs charging. We're aware that our
phone needs recovery. We're aware that our phone needs an
update or a refuel, or whatever it may be, but
(06:30):
so many of us will spend so much time and
energy feeling shameful and guilty for giving ourselves a break,
for giving ourselves a moment of rest or recovery. I
want you to remove that guilt. I want you to
remove that shame. You don't deserve rest, you didn't earn it.
(06:51):
You need it. Your body physically needs it, your mind
mentally needs it, your soul spiritually needs it, your emotions
need it. Right, we actually need it. So I want
to start there, and I want you to almost repeat
after me. Rest is something I need, not something I
(07:13):
need to earn. Rest is something I need, not something
I need to earn. Rest is something my body needs,
not something I need to earn. We need to get really,
really clear on that, because when we get clear on that,
we don't cancel our vacations, we don't skip rest, we
(07:34):
don't compromise on sleep because we realize our body and
mind need it. Now, what I want to share with
you are some practical tips as to how you can
do that in your day to day as you're building
up towards a vacation. As you're looking forward to something
in the summer, what do you do on a weekly
and daily basis. Here's one that's really important. I want
(07:56):
you to set a habit of a micro break. Think
about your calendar. In your calendar, you're constantly putting in meetings,
and if your calendar looks anything like mine, it's meeting
after meeting after meeting. Here's an actionable tip. Every sixty
to ninety minutes, take a two to five minute break
(08:19):
and put it in your schedule. Literally, put a scheduled
five minute break in your calendar every sixty to ninety minutes.
And in this break, you're gonna walk, look out of
a window, and you're gonna drink some water. You're gonna
get hydrated. You're gonna look out into the distance, not
look at your phone, look outside of a screen, and
(08:40):
you're gonna walk. You're gonna move. Whether you're booking your
next trip or planning a quick weekend escape, Chase Sapphire
Reserve is your ultimate travel companion. Today we're diving into
the travel experience, and let me tell you, there's a
lot to love when you're out exploring new destination. One
of the most rewarding parts of the journey is not
(09:03):
just the places you visit, but the experiences you have
along the way. Whether you're grabbing a bike at a
hidden gem of a restaurant or jetting off to a
dream destination, every step of the adventure should feel like
a reward. That's where Chase Sapphire Reserve comes in. Traveling
is all about convenience, comfort, and making the most of
(09:25):
your time, whether it's finding the best hotel for a
last minute trip or getting a table at that exclusive
spot you've been eyeing for months, and with Chase Sapphire Reserve,
everything from booking flights to dining out is made even better.
It's like having a trusted travel companion that makes sure
you're always taking care of think about it. No more
(09:48):
stressing about where to stay, what to eat, or what
perks you might be missing out on. With Chase Saphire Reserve,
the experience is seamless. You can simply focus on the
fund parts of travel, like discovering the best food spots,
exploring new cities, or just having the most relaxing vacation
you deserve. If you want to learn more about how
(10:10):
Chase Sapphire Reserve can transform your travel experience. Head to
Chase dot Com forward slash Sapphire Reserve no matter your
destination dreams, Chase Sapphire offers exclusive rewards and experiences so
you can explore the world your way discover more with
Chase Sapphire Reserve. University of Illinois found that brief breaks
(10:34):
dramatically boost focus. A lot of us say to ourselves, Okay,
I will wait till the end of the week. I'll
wait till the end of the month, I'll wait till
the end of the quarter. In sometimes you can be
waiting forever. We have to train ourselves to create regular breaks.
And I would even argue that when you're planning your
year out, you need to schedule your vacation time, even
(10:56):
if it's a long weekend, even if it's just a daybreak,
whatever it's going to be for you, we need to
schedule it out. You need it every quarter to take
a small break. You need that vacation once a year
right to be totally switched off. It makes a huge difference.
The second one that's been huge for me is intentional
(11:19):
breathing exercises. One of my favorite actionable tips is the
box breathing technique where you in helle for four seconds,
you hold for four seconds, you excel for four seconds,
and you hold for four seconds. Let's try it out
together in hell two three four, hold two three four
(11:47):
out two three four hold two three four. A simple
exercise like that. The NIH research shows it immediately reduces
cortisol sometimes. What's really interesting about our overwork and not
(12:10):
taking a break is our cortisole levels are going through
the roof the reason we're struggling with weight loss or
weight control, the reason we're struggling with the tension in
our body. So much of it comes down to stress
and a few simple breaths can begin to relieve you
(12:30):
of that stress, to relieve you of that pressure, to
relieve you of that tension. And I would encourage you
to try it out simply when you're feeling stressed. You
know you can't take a long break right now, just
try box breathing now. One of my favorite personal techniques
(12:52):
when it comes to this is to spend time in
a mindfulness practice. And my favorite favorite favorite technique is
called the five four three two one technique. In this technique,
when you're feeling stressed and your head is spinning, try
(13:13):
this out. Five things you can see. Observe the colors,
the shapes, the sizes, the shades. Look around at five
things you can see. What are four things you can touch?
Notice the textures? Is something harsh or is it soft?
(13:41):
Is it rough or is it seamless? And at the
same time, is it cool? Is it warm? Allow the
sense of touch to bring you into the present moment.
What are three things you can hear right now? What
(14:11):
are two things you can smell? And what's one thing
you can taste? What's so important about this is you
can bring yourself back to the present moment with the
simple five four, three to one technique. And why is
(14:35):
this even more powerful? When it comes to rest, you
automatically feel like you've taken a little break, You've made
yourself aware of your surroundings and brought yourself into the moment.
Try it out, because all the studies show that mindfulness
(14:56):
reduces anxiety by up to fifty eight percent. The Journal
of Psychology in twenty twenty found that mindfulness reduces anxiety
by up to fifty eight percent. Imagine if you were
fifty eight percent less anxious, what could you achieve? What
(15:18):
could you do? Who would you be a simple five
four three two one technique can bring you back into
your body and make your mind feel rested. What I'm
sharing here are really simple, actionable, practical techniques that you
can start doing right now. These are simple practices that
(15:42):
any and all of us can easily experience today. One
of my favorites. The next one is tech free zones.
This is something I recommend to parents with young kids,
and it's even something I recommend. A cup study by
Sleep Health in twenty eighteen found on improved sleep and
(16:06):
reduced anxiety with less screen exposure. Establish one hour per
day as tech free and one zone in your home
as tech free. So let's say the kitchen table, the
dining table is always tech free. That is your tech
(16:27):
free hour to sit, connect, talk to your partner, eat,
digest your food, spend time with your family, and make
it meaningful too. Don't just make it a negative au
we can't use technology here. Make it a positive. Maybe
you're going to discuss the funniest TikTok you saw today
and you have to describe it to each other without
showing it. Maybe you're going to talk about something that
(16:50):
happened as a highlight in each of your days today.
Maybe you're going to take this opportunity to share something
you really appreciate about each other. This habit, it boosts
energy and makes us feel rested in the most incredible ways.
We are overwhelmed, we are over consuming, we are oversubscribed,
(17:10):
and therefore we are exhausted. If you had one hour
of your day that was tech free and one zone
in your home that was tech free, you would feel
so much more rested. On a daily basis, you would
find a whole new influx of energy that you never
knew existed before. And so many of us are missing
(17:31):
out on this. So many of us don't realize the
value of this because we can't remember the last time
we were without our phones for an hour, just an hour,
and the day. It could be in the morning, could
be in the evening. Whatever works for you, but it
will give you such a break. Give it a go,
and for those of you who really want to take
it to the next level, nature exposure. A Stanford University
(17:55):
study in twenty fifteen found that nature walks significantly low
anxiety and depression. Last night, min RADI went on a
one hour walk in the evening, and I can truly
say that it was so beautiful. I rested better, felt calmer.
It was a great end to the day. And hey,
I can't do that every single day. I can't do
(18:17):
an hour walk every single day. But an actionable tip
is a ten minute walk outside daily. A ten minutes
walk outside will relax you more. Movement can actually help
you rest if it's outdoors and you're allowing yourself to
just experience nature, whether it's looking at trees and marrying
(18:38):
the birds, whatever it may be. These are simple habits
to find rest and refuel throughout the day as you're
waiting and looking forward to that vacation, as you can't
be more than excited about it. This is a really,
really simple step. Now we've talked about the practical habits,
(18:58):
but let's talk about the shame and get of rest again.
Maybe your parents never rested, Maybe they're always working. Maybe
they're pressure on you to do the same. Maybe you're
scared of falling behind. Well, whatever it is, here's the reality.
You're more likely to fall behind if you never rest.
(19:20):
You're more likely to lose focus, if you never take
a break, You're more likely to be less productive and efficient.
If you don't refuel, recovery is part of an athlete strategy.
Recovery is part of an athlete's ability. You've got to
(19:45):
be good at recovery in order to be good to play. So,
for those of you that want to win, that want
to hustle, that want to achieve more than everyone else,
imagine what you could do with rest. Not over indulgent rest,
not laziness, but the ability to refuel, refine, and renew
(20:06):
will actually make you more successful and effective. Now, for
those of you that feel you have to earn it,
that feel that you don't deserve it, that feel that
there's shame and guilt attached to it, ask yourself, where
does that come from? Did you always feel that if
you didn't work hard you were lazy? Did you feel
that people who take breaks are less effective and productive?
(20:30):
What was it for you? Get to the root of it,
And as I was saying, for a lot of us,
it's just shame and guilt of I haven't earned it,
I don't need it. I've got to do something for
everyone else. So many of us are good at solving
everyone else's problems but not paying attention to our own.
So this is a way, and this is your reminder,
(20:52):
it's just something your body needs. Think about your laptop
when it's on low battery again. It will remind you
to never compromise on rest. Rest is productive, Rest is effective.
Rest is a necessity, not a luxury. When you compromise
(21:15):
your rest, you compromise everything else. You can't bring your
best to everything if you didn't make time to rest.
I want you to remember that. Hope that helps you.
I hope it serves you, and I hope it makes
a difference in your life. And I'm so grateful that
we've got to spend this time together today. Thank you
(21:35):
for listening. Thank you so much for listening to this conversation.
If you enjoyed it, you'll love my chat with Adam
Grant on why discomfort is the key to growth and
the strategies for unlocking your hidden potential. If you know
you want to be more and achieve more this year,
go check it out right now. You set a goal today,
(21:56):
you achieve it in six months, and then by the
time it happens, it's almost a relief. There's no sense
of meaning and purpose. You sort of expected it, and
you would have been disappointed if it didn't happen.
Host
Jay Shetty
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