“REST”
An absolutely beautiful four letter word but yet one which so many people have a very poor relationship with. It took me years to befriend this fabulous word and most importantly what it represents due to lots of childhood conditioning. I grew up with the belief that if you sat still for a moment or were not actively doing something useful you were lazy.
So I firmly believed rest was bad and a complete waste of precious time, there was always so much I could be doing or felt I should be doing. Being productive was something good so I was always BUSY, Always doing something and therefore always tired too!
These thought processes and belief systems are what led onto my burnout and getting so sick in the first place many years ago. I see the exact same belief systems and patterns with so many of the people I work with. They just don’t know how to stop and believe to do so is bad or wrong or weak or something which is only deserving AFTER every thing else is done or complete.
So what exactly does the word REST mean to you? Do you give yourself permission to REST? If you do when do you allow yourself to rest? Only at the weekends, only when everything is done? or do you freely allow rest to happen naturally when you need it?
The human body is not designed to go NON STOP, run itself down and become miserable, sick and burned out. The body and mind needs rest and lots of it to function at their best and optimum.
Resting can come in many different formats, here are the most common ways…
- Sitting/lying in silence or darkness
- Just stopping a number of times throughout the day for a few moments to close your eyes
- Just pausing when you end one thing and before you begin another
- A holiday or a break away
- A change of routine… ( A change is as good as a rest as the saying goes) so the variety of routine can often give a sense of having rested, just doing something different can help you to feel revitalised and refreshed
- 20 minute power naps
- Just DOING NOTHING AT ALL every so often…No reading, no writing, no screen glaring, no scrolling, no tv, no music, no noise….NOTHING!
- Having a beautiful warm relaxing bath
- Chilling by doing something fun and relaxing
- Taking a few deep breaths
- Getting a few moments of fresh air
Different things will work at different times depending on what you actually need and your current state of health and wellbeing.
Sleeping and resting are different and yes of course when the body is sleeping it is resting to a degree. Sleep is crucial full stop for every aspect of your health and wellbeing…but sleep is only part of what you need for healing and repairing.
Many push themselves so much they crash to bed and are so exhausted they sleep but never actually feel like they have rested. Many are gone beyond exhaustion into burnout and have very poor quality sleep and never feel rested as a result. Many people solely depend on sleep for their periods of rest, if that is the case I can assure you , you are on the wrong path.
Depending on your current state of health and wellbeing will determine exactly how much rest you actually need. The more healthy and energised you are, the shorter the resting period to recover, reboot and re-energise…so after a few minutes out on a REGULAR basis will have you rearing to go again.
Resting gives you renewed energy, focus and stamina.
REST Is NOT
- A waste
- Idleness
- Laziness
- Useless
- A sign of weakness
Rest is
- A necessity for health, energy, happiness and inner harmony.
- What allows the mind, body and soul to heal , repair and restore.
- Priceless, it’s benefits are endless
- A Beautiful moment of joy
- Having an inner sense of peace and inner confidence and a knowing that all will be ok
- Trusting in the flow of life
- An amazing way to show yourself self-love
- Empowering
Quote: “Serenity is active.It is a gentle and firm participation with trust.Serenity is the relaxation of our cells into who we are and a quiet celebration of that relaxation” Anne Wilson Schaef
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