How to Find Rest in a Busy Life
submitted by Emma Couette, published author
Emma Couette
When I first heard the topic of this month’s newsletter, I was a little daunted at the thought of writing an article about it. If you know me personally or have asked about my life in the past year or so, you will know that I am incredibly busy. You may think that the meaning of rest and relaxation has eluded me, and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. I often forget to take a break and – considering I’m working on publishing two novels this year (one in July and one in November), working 20 hours a week, and taking a full time online college course – it’s no wonder. However, my busy schedule has taught me one thing: to appreciate rest when it comes and I’m here today to share some of my tips and tricks, as well as my relaxation plans for this summer. Let’s dive in, shall we?
The biggest barrier to finding rest in your daily life is thinking that it’s just going to come to you. Much like story ideas, you actually need to chase after it if you want it to become a regular thing. Rest works wonders when it’s spontaneous, but there’s nothing wrong with scheduling it either! I try to keep my weekends work free, unless I have an unfinished school assignment or a big writing deadline coming up. I used to work straight through the week, using every chunk of spare time towards writing and other tasks, but I was burning out constantly and my creativity was suffering.
Another tactic I’ve been trying is reading half an hour before bed, which I’m not always good at. I keep missing days here and there, which is preventing me from creating a solid habit. This month, I actually wrote down the books I planned to read, which helped a fair amount as I’m quite competitive and am determined not to fall behind. I also recently bought a bunch of new books that I’m super excited to get to, all from independently published authors like myself. It’s great to be excited about books again and I can’t wait to dive into their fictional worlds.
My final tip is rewarding yourself after long weeks or big projects. Each time I publish a book, I plan a fancy dinner date to celebrate, which gets me away from my desk and out into the world. When I finish a new draft of my novel, I put it down for a week and do something fun, live dive into a new book I’ve been dying to read or going out with friends. I’m also planning a trip this August to celebrate graduating college and taking a whole week off work to give myself a much deserved break.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m publishing my next book in July and I’m not sure what I’m going to do to celebrate it quite yet, but I feel like it needs to be something big because this book means a lot to me. It’s titled Summer’s Revenge and it’s the first book in my brand new fantasy series, but it’s also the first book I ever wrote. I started this story in 2013 and I am so excited to be here, publishing it, eight years later. It’s been hard work bringing it together and I know that the best thing I can do for myself is rest once it’s published, give myself a well-deserved break.
If you’re in need of a new fantasy novel to read this summer while you lounge by the pool or sit by the campfire, you can preorder Summer’s Revenge now in ebook and paperback. I’m also hosting a giveaway. All the details are on my website, which is linked below. The book is targeted towards 12-17 year olds, but is perfect for everyone who likes books about magic, warring kingdoms, and revenge.
