Last week I talked about sleep, this week I want to explore the idea of rest – downtime – whatever that means to you.

I bet right now some of you are reading this in your PJs [I’m writing in my PJs btw] wallowing in that hazy feeling of Friday tiredness. But what if the energy low you’re feeling right now lasts, what if you feel fatigued most of the time? Some people walk around simply draped in weariness, the kind of weariness that stops you thinking straight, the kind of weariness that gets you down.

If this sounds familiar then lets take a beat and think about it. What is rest really and why is it important?

To me rest isn’t always easy to come by but I do very much enjoy the kind of mental time out afforded by a cup of tea with my friends or that bit of quiet time after all the chores are done and it’s almost time for bed.

Rest is also distance – distance in the sense of pulling the brakes on and taking time away from a situation. Usually when you walk away from a stressful, tiring situation your brain uses the time out to formulate a really clever solution – you know, the one you would have come up with days ago if only you’d been thinking straight!

And finally rest is realising what you’ve already achieved. Sometimes we are so busy, so run off our feet that we forget that we have already completed a million jobs [and I’m talking the small but important stuff here like – a successful School run, a difficult meeting in work, the big weekly shop…]. Here we are beating ourselves up and feeling miserable when actually we are a power house of activity.

Whatever rest means to you it is vitally important that you build it in to your life. We are living, breathing, sensory people. Our bodies need time to repair and recharge, our minds need time to process and respond and our nerves and senses need nourishment. Rest helps us retain our sense of optimism, our drive and our ability to cope. Without it we get down, we get stressed, our immunity suffers, our muscles stiffen, our digestive system weakens… our old self becomes like a distant memory, our vitality is lost. We say we’re tired but actually we’re tired and sad.

Now, remember the things you used to do that made you feel good – it’s time to reintroduce some of them back in to your life. Be realistic, aim for the treats you can achieve like, time out with a brilliant book, sticking your headphones on and going out for a walk while you listen to your favourite tunes, having a cup of tea with friends. Put in your own system of checks and balances and never feel guilty about taking time out for self care.

Reflexology as with all holistic therapies places a huge emphasis on self care. It’s the perfect therapy to naturally restore energy and vitality, it also gives you space to truly rest. Once I have your tootsies in my hands it is my mission to make you feel as comfortable, relaxed and as cared for as I can.

So remember wisdom dips and energy lows are part of life but please when they become part of everyday life then stop, think and make some changes.