Mental Rest: Mindful Monday Journal Prompts

Happy #MindfulMonday. This week we focus on mental rest. There are many forms of rest. What does rest mean to you?

One of the seven tips for mental health was rest. Over the past few weeks, I have been talking about different forms of rest.

Week One; I focused on the importance of solitude. You can read more about that here.

Week two: I focused on the two different types of physical rest. You can read more about that here.

Mental rest is when we escape from the constant monkey chatter in our minds and find peace in stillness. Below, I provide tips for relief from mental exhaustion and some journal prompts to gain clarity on incorporate mental rest into your schedule.

With so much going on these day, it is easy to become overwhelmed by too many thoughts. We ask ourselves what we need to complete next. We ask ourselves what we can squeeze in during our free time. Sometimes, that looks like rest. Other times, that looks like adding in that one task that has been overlooked for the past two weeks. The problem is that when live like this, we fall prey to burdening our body to the point that we become burnt out.

How to Incorporate Mental Rest In Your Life

The first step is becoming clear on what kind of rest we need. The second step is scheduling time for these forms of rest. We may think we need a nap but maybe we need a walk, a 5 minute meditation, or some time in silence surrounding ourselves with good company. Sometimes that company involves positive relationships. Other times, it means being alone in nature. While, we don’t always have access to what we want, we can focis in on that one type of rest, and find one small task to keep us afloat during that stage in our life. Ask yourself these questions to determine how you can achieve mental rest.

Mental Rest Journal Prompts:

1. Do you find that you become scattered when handling too many things at once?
2. What calms your mind when you are overstimulated?
3. Are there any specific activities that bring relief when you are overwhelmed?
4. How can you incorporate these interests into your schedule?

Examples of Ways to Rest Your Mind

1. meditating
2. gardening
3. knitting
4. drawing
5. walking
6. stretch/dance