At Byron Bay Tea Company we are strong advocates for a balanced life- where an individual’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs are met. With the busy lives that many of us lead, we all know how hard this can be hard to achieve. Read on to find out my secret on what can help you to strike the balance.

Day in and day out, many of us tend to put so much pressure on ourselves to constantly be super producers and high achievers- in our careers, relationships and leisure pursuits. 

We are constantly striving and working too much without any consideration for the cycles of rest that is essential to being well. We sometimes push so hard that we just don’t know when or how to pause, slow down or halt for a bit to reflect on all the amazing things we are achieving. 

It had reached exactly this point for me recently after juggling family demands and business. Throw in a bunch of poor sleeps from attending to my little boys throughout the night the week prior and I was so exhausted I was absolutely no good to anyone! 

I decided to have a stay-cation for two nights at a hotel down the road to remove myself from the busy pace of life and just have some time out. This was time out to DO NOTHING! I gave myself permission to be lazy- to sleep, read and rest. This simple two days away from the hum-drum of life, gave me the most profound reset and was something that was long overdue. I came back feeling so happy and well and with a huge amount of gratitude for all that I had in my life. This was the prize that I received for honouring my needs and filling my cup.

I have reflected a lot since the stay-cation on the benefits of rest and I am now a firm believer in giving yourself permission to be lazy one day a week. This is one day a week to just be rather than do. 

Three Benefits of Rest-:

1. Rest allows for a body in a catabolic state (state of breakdown due to too much stress) to switch over to an anabolic state (state of building up due to a reduction of stress).
   
   
2. Increased HGH Production - Research shows that if we are able to get high-quality sleep for at least 7–8 hours per night our bodies have the needed time to produce ample HGH (human growth hormone) which is the hormone responsible for many things like muscle tone, energy, and cellular regeneration. So instead of being stressed and holding on to fat, it is releasing more HGH through our rest cycles which means- more muscle, less fat!
   
3. Increased Learning Capacity & Deeper Thinking - With social media and I-phones playing such a big role in our lives, we are receiving so much input and surface level information constantly that the neurological pathways in our brains can become quite exhausted- compromising our ability to dive deeper into information. Stepping away from this and turning devices off can help to create the space for us to learn, understand and delve deeper into ourselves and the information that we receive. 

So, by simply turning off devices and sitting on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea- deep thinking begins to unveil itself. It doesn’t happen quickly but truly happens after many hours and after you have given yourself permission to be ok with your thoughts. This is why I am such a big fan of giving yourself permission to be lazy one day a week or as many of us call it having a good old doona day- there’s some huge benefits!

Enjoy!