This past weekend, we were at a backcountry lodge for a “Christmas party in July” for Matt’s work. It was literally in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and wifi. There also were no mountain bike trails (but there were some short forest service roads). It was a gorgeous spot with really great food!
A lot of the time was spent simply following Bradley around outside on the huge property, going paddleboarding, or sitting on the deck. We were both pretty fatigued for several days from the vaccine we received a day before we arrived at the lodge and took that recovery seriously as well. That meant little or very short bike rides. With no training to do, no ability to work, or even no ability to check email or the news, it meant lots of aimless wandering and restless feelings.
I’ve had this restless feeling before and now I embrace it because I know that it actually is good for me. Allowing yourself to be bored or restless from time to time is actually important. Personally, I enjoy being on the go and having tons of projects and plans (haha, obviously). However, while taking downtime makes me feel restless, aimless, and even almost panicked at times, I’ve learned the value in this downtime.
Giving yourself the space to NOT have plans, to NOT do anything and to actually feel that restless feeling helps you recharge. Just like a battery needs to do nothing to fully recharge, we do too! Doing nothing doesn’t have to mean sitting around staring at a wall. It can mean having no plans and avoiding going on your phone. It’s also hard to create the space to allow yourself to feel bored or restless. I usually have to go somewhere that has really bad wifi and no cell service. It prevents me from working. By having free space to wander, you can come up with new ideas, let current projects marinate, or even give your brain time to rest!
Or think of it this way- if you ride moderately hard on your bike all the time, you won’t get much faster. You get stronger from doing the hard, focused work and then giving yourself enough of a recovery period to get stronger. The same goes for daily life- if you are busy all the time but never truly peaking and never truly resting, you’ll be driving around in third gear.
You can add in mini-breaks during the day and also take planned “restless” time too. Maybe that’s why we love camping so much!
