Recharging Your Batteries: The Importance of Rest and Relaxation After a Big Event

Heyyyyy! 

Do you ever feel like your brain doesn’t shut off? As a go-getter and entrepreneur at heart, my brain comes up with hundreds of new ideas each day. Which I love, because that’s me, after all! However, sometimes I need to quiet the noise and help myself to relax. Coming down from a big event like the insideLINES Live Super Bowl Podcast, where I kept a 100 mph pace every day leading up to the big day means that I have to now play catch up. I have to now focus on family and friends (which are an important component to my life!) and then of course I need to rest and recharge my own batteries, which I have kept on the back burner the past month or so.

There has to be time for a pause. After a big event of any kind you need rest, to eat well and focus on your health and allow time for de-stress. Let’s chat about some ways that you can achieve this! 

First Things First: Make Sure You are REALLY Done! Finalize The Details 

Before you can unwind completely, it is a good idea to wrap up those nitty gritty details. These are the ones that will wake you up at 2am panicking that you didn’t do something. Let yourself get the sleep you deserve.

1. Make sure all invoices are paid 
2. Confirm all contracts are closed and nothing else is owed by either party 
3. Complete any lingering tasks, send those final emails 

Cross everything off of your to do list and grant yourself a clean break. 

Gratitude Thinking

After your reflection session, allow yourself to sit with positivity and gratitude for the experience. No matter if everything went perfectly or had a few hiccups, at the end of the day, you DID IT! Don’t forget to honor the accomplishment, what it meant to or did for others, and what you learned from it. And remember, it is more than likely the little things that bothered you went unnoticed by everyone else. 

Speak kindly to yourself and allow the gratitude (and all of its tangible physical and mental benefits) to flow. By sitting in positive thoughts you help your body to produce serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, all of which are helpful for your mood, the regulation of your body’s processes, and even your rest. Kind of like the gift that keeps on giving!

Expand your gratitude outwards by thanking those who helped you with the event. Write thank you cards or emails, send thank you gifts, and recognize/praise in team meetings. Be generous with your gratitude! Everyone involved in the event is also probably running on fumes, too. Think of your event attendees, staff, volunteers, vendors and special guests. I enjoy letting people know how much they mean to me and the effort that they put into something I am passionate about.

Rest, Recharge & Reward

Now that you’ve closed the chapter on your event and all the details are complete, it is time to take a few days! Yes, you heard me a FEW days, more than one! You deserve it! 

Sometimes it’s a struggle to dive into Rest mode. Give your mind and body the peace you are craving 

1. Sleep in – I know this can be a challenge but don’t set the alarm, let your body tell you what it needs. 
2. Take a nap – If you can’t sleep in because you have an internal clock, then switch to a nap. Even just 20 minutes helps your brain and body recover from sleep deprivation and to reduce levels of harmful stress hormones like cortisol.
3. Low intensity exercise – move your body but don’t force yourself into the next workout that’s going to make you wish you hadn’t added that extra weight set, or exhaust yourself by pushing for another mile. Think Yoga, Tai Chi, or even a relaxing jog in a beautiful locale.
4. Take a walk – Enjoy the beauty all around you. Listen for the birds chirping or feel the sun on your face- or depending on the weather- maybe you will feel the cold freezing your nose! Enjoy the outdoors, whatever the weather.

5. Meditate – Connect with yourself on a deeper level. Set aside some quiet time, even 5 minutes, to clear your mind and center your soul. This is also a great time for prayer/devotion.
6. Aromatherapy – This can be done on its own or to complement another suggestion above, our sense of smell is a powerful thing. Increase your positivity with uplifting scents. I love lavender, bergamot, sweet orange, and ylang ylang for a relaxing mind/body experience.

Now it’s time to put yourself first! What are the things that fill your cup?

1. Spend time with your family, have a special dinner and create conversations to find out what you may have missed. 
2. See your BFF’s, plan a game night, girls night or an evening out for a group. Catch up on the tea, have fun and let loose!
3. Have a spa day – pamper yourself, get your nails done, or a facial, do something that will make you feel pampered.
4. Get a massage –  release all the physical and mental tension you’ve been carrying around for weeks and leave with that weight finally off your shoulders.

And now for a reward. What is something special you can do for yourself?! After all you’ve accomplished you deserve a little something special! Here are some of my favorites:

• Celebratory dinner/drink – Take yourself out to your favorite restaurant and enjoy a meal or your favorite cocktail.
• Shopping spree – What is something you have been wanting but have put off? Now is the time to get it! Or maybe its just the act of leisurely shopping with no specific goal in mind that is the reward in and of itself. Note this can be combined with the celebratory meal/drink!
• A trip or a staycation- My personal favorite and exactly what I did! I can’t recommend this enough. Our trip to Nevis was exactly what I needed! Blue water, beaches and one on one time with the hubs. Stay tuned I’ll share more in detail about this amazing island soon! 

Set New Goals 

By now you have rested, recharged, and rewarded yourself.  Your clear and refreshed mindset will help you focus on what is next! Set your eyes on your next big goal and get moving towards it. Hurry up, it’s time to get moving!

The Final Reminder From the Heart 

I know more than anyone how hard it is to let go and disconnect. I had a great reminder this week… it’s okay to disconnect for a short period of time! In today’s society, we have a phone connected to us 24/7. It didn’t used to be this way. Remember the days when there were only landlines? If you left the house or the office, requests had to wait until you were back. Even though technology is a wonderful thing, don’t forget it’s okay if you don’t answer every call, text or email. The world will not end, set boundaries and unplug! 

My final helpful tips to accomplish this:

1. Automate your posts, if social is a big part of your job/project, schedule your content! 
2. Delegate Tasks – you have a team or resources that help you with these projects. Have faith and allow them to carry the weight for a few days! 
3. Accountability – If this is hard for you, have someone in your corner. As much as you want to take another meeting, have someone who will remind you that it can wait! (Nate may have implemented a no meetings rule for our vacation, Thanks boo! It’s exactly what I needed 🙂)
4. Turn off your devices! If they are off you won’t have the urge to peek, or check every notification you hear. 

I may sound like a broken record at this point but find the time to allow yourself to rest and decompress because once you do it’s time to get back to it! I’m ready, so LET’S GOOOO! 

With Love,

AB