tips for rest for the overachiever

tips for rest for the overachiever

hi there, my name’s loretta, and I’m an overachiever 👋🏽 

i’ve been an overachiever (although, i prefer the term “high achieving person” 😉) for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure what came first: my parent’s desire to enroll me in extracurriculars, or my curiosity in how to get involved in my community… but ever since girlhood, I’ve had a jam packed schedule.

that transferred into high school when I quickly became a multi-sport athlete and volunteer cheerleading coach….

and then into college when I found myself in executive roles for several clubs, enrolling in extra classes, and pursuing additional certifications…

and then into young adulthood when I secured my first full time job, and then immediately picked up a couple of side hustles and a multitude of hobbies.

and now, as I enter my 30s, the narrative is the same: my schedule is jam packed with events and opportunities that keep moving me closer to my goals.

… but sometimes this lifestyle makes me feel like I’m a spectacle… like I’m up on a tightrope and people are just waiting for me to tumble so they can relish in their “I told you so” moment:

 “I think you’re spreading yourself too thin…”

 “Aren’t you worried you’ll burn out?”

 “I honestly don’t know how you do it all! I could never…”

While at times I wish people would mind their business about my busyness, the feedback and concern from others is always an opportunity to reflect and consider how I can be a high achieving person AND make sure that I’m resting and taking care of myself.

If you find yourself with similar thoughts, then here are my 3 tips for how to rest if you’re a high achieving person:

1. Define what rest looks like for you

When we think about rest, the first thing that often comes to mind is physical rest, like taking a nap or lounging on the couch while bingeing your favorite show. For the longest time I thought that this was my only option for rest. Thus, when faced with the choice of snoozing a bit or finishing a project, the latter always prevailed.

And then I learned that there are many ways to rest, seven different types to be exact. 

Learning about different types of rest helped me define what rest looks like for me and how I can implement a variety of restful techniques into my day to day.

Nowadays, my daily rest routine includes going for walks, doing a short series of gentle or energizing yoga poses, getting away from screens, tidying up my apartment, or journaling.

what’s important about each of these rest activities is that they don’t take up a ton of time—30 minutes at most. and for my high achieving mentality, these are just a few simple examples of how I can rest without feeling like I’ve totally disrupted my flow of productivity or creativity.

however, these mini rest breaks only worked for me when I learned to… 

2. Schedule It

if you're a high achiever, chances are you’re pretty organized and you keep a tight schedule. And it’s easy to overlook opportunities to rest when there’s “no time.” 

but here’s the thing. you have to make time to have time. And if you want to start prioritizing rest, it’s got to make its way into your planner. if you notice that you’ve got a 10 minute window in between meetings, make a note in your schedule that you’ll use that time to do 5 minutes of child’s pose or take a quick lap around the block. the more you do this, the more taking time to rest will become second nature to you and will eventually become a seamless part of your daily routine.

in addition to scheduling time for mini rest breaks, it’s equally as important to schedule time for extended rest. for me, this looks like breaking out the calendar at the beginning of each month and picking out at least one day to take a full day's rest—whether it be going to the spa, getting out in nature, or just spending the day home alone. it’s important that I schedule those days in advance and that I mark them as non negotiable. this means blocking the days off my scheduler so no one can book me; putting up an auto response email so people can expect to not hear from me; and most importantly, it means telling my friends and family in advance when i'm taking a rest day so they can hold me accountable to seeing it through.

3. remove rest from your reward system

High achievers are all too familiar with reward systems—it’s why we work so hard! We’re accustom to (and maybe a little bit addicted to 😅) putting in hard work and receiving some type of reward. Whether it be earning recognition, securing a new opportunity, or completely crushing and surpassing our goals, reaping the fruits of our labor is our love language.

so, it’s no surprise that we use a reward system when it comes to rest.

but rest isn’t a reward. It isn’t something that needs to be earned. rest is a necessity. and when it’s time to rest—whether it be physically, mentally, socially, or emotionally—we have to stop ourselves when we start to believe the narrative of, “I’ll rest when…”

don’t rest when you’re finished. Or when the job is complete. or when the class is over. or when you won. or when you reached the goal.

rest as soon as your body, heart, or mind says that it’s ready.

As contradictory as it might sound to my fellow overachiever, resting makes you more productive. It gives you the chance to recharge your batteries so you keep on keeping on. So the next time someone questions your busyness and your unique go-go-go mentality, make sure you’re equipped with an answer about how, when, and why you rest!

thanks for reading! share this with a high achieving friend, colleague, or loved one who could benefit from learning how to rest. and if learning how to integrate rest and self care into your every day has been a challenge for you, then consider signing up for one of my upcoming mindfulness-based workshops.

Click here to learn more about my 1:1 mindfulness coaching program and book your free discovery session here.