Half term. The toys are away, the house is quiet, and this should be the week you finally rest. So why do you feel worse?
If you’ve ever spent the first two days of a holiday tired, achy, snappy or full of cold, you’re not doing rest wrong. That’s your nervous system catching up with you.
Think of it like an old bath
The taps are everything pouring stress in. The to do list, the phone, every yes you didn’t mean. The water is all that stress sitting in your body. And the plug is how you let it out: rest, movement, laughing, a good cry.
If you only ever turn the taps down, the bath still fills up. If you only pull the plug once in a blue moon, it overflows anyway. The trick is doing a little of both, often.
So here’s a half term reset. One small thing a day. Not a spa weekend, not a whole new you. Just enough to remind your body it’s safe to come off duty.
Monday: notice your taps
Before you change anything, just notice. Grab a scrap of paper and write down what’s been draining you lately. The yeses you gave while your insides were screaming no. The list that never ends. The phone that never stops pinging. No fixing yet. Just look.
Tuesday: turn one tap down
Pick one thing from Monday’s list and turn it down a notch. A few ideas:
- Swap the automatic yes for “let me check my diary and get back to you.”
- Cut your to do list to three things. Write them at the top and let the rest wait.
- Put your phone on Do Not Disturb for an hour and see how it feels.
- Clear one spot you can see in ten minutes. Not the whole house. One spot.
Wednesday: pull the plug
Today is about letting some of that stress drain out. Pick one:
- Box breathing. In for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Do it three or four times.
- Stand barefoot on the grass, or even the living room carpet, and notice what you can see, hear and feel.
- Put a song on and shake it out. Arms, legs, shoulders. Animals do this after a fright and it works for us too.
- Laugh. Even a pretend laugh counts. Your brain can’t tell the difference.
- Write it down, cry it out, or ring someone who gets it.
Thursday: be kind when calm feels hard
Here’s the bit nobody tells you. When you finally slow down, you might feel worse before you feel better. Aches, a wave of tiredness, a short fuse. Your body has got used to running on stress, and it takes a while to adjust.
That’s not failing. That’s your body recalibrating. So today:
- Rest without guilt, even if it’s only ten minutes.
- Try a gentle walk or a stretch instead of pushing through.
- Add some comfort: a soft blanket, a warm drink, your favourite smell.
- Say it out loud if you need to: “This is recalibration, not failure.”
A funny one from me. When I started breathing deeper, my bras suddenly felt tight and I was convinced I’d put weight on. I hadn’t. My ribcage was finally opening up again. So if that happens to you, treat yourself to a comfy new bra and call it progress.
Friday: pick what you keep
The door opens again on Monday, and you don’t have to keep everything. Look back over the week and pick two or three things that helped. Those are your keepers.
Your nervous system loves consistency. Little and often beats one big self care day every single time.
Your free checklist
I’ve put all of this on one page you can print and stick on the fridge. Download the Calm & Resilient You checklist here. Don’t try to tick every box. Pick two or three a day and keep going.
More in this autumn’s magazine
If this has struck a chord, this autumn’s issue of Not Just a Childminder has more on looking after your nervous system. It’s a seasonal magazine written just for you, not for your planning folder.
With love and a very big cuppa,
Claire x
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