Rest means to stop or relax from activity for a specified amount of time. Rest can mean to relax, to restore, or to engage in activities that make you feel recharged and fulfilled. In this post, we will explore opportunities to help us rest and refresh.
Why is resting a radical idea?
Our schedules are packed, we have many responsibilities and people who depend on us to help make day-to-day activities continue. Rest can be perceived as self-serving, so when we take time to rest, we can feel guilty, worry that we are not doing enough, or that we ourselves are not enough.
Our society values productivity, and that productivity is correlated to our worth. Being busy is viewed positively, thus the pressure to take on as much as we can (and more!) also has positive associations.
We often get into the mindset that rest needs to be earned depending on how productive we are - but bodies and minds need and deserve rest - more than just a night of sleep.
Making a specified time to rest - in this context - is a radical idea. Making time calls on you - and us - to fundamentally reshift, rethink, and actually put it into practice.
Rest is especially radical for those who belong to marginalized groups. Living under systems of oppression causes chronic stress and exhaustion. Rest can be one form of resisting and reclaiming power and autonomy. Check out The Nap Ministry’s work on this!
I want to try! How do I start?
First, recognize that you are enough.
Think, think about rest to feed your body and your mind. Remind yourself to step back and to leave room for rest in your schedule as an essential part of your life and wellbeing. Or even better, schedule rest in your calendar.
Recognize that everyone’s needs for rest are different and that rest may also take different forms.
Make space for rest through visibility and advocacy. Voice your own need to rest and support the rest of others.
Ways to Practice
1. Unplug!
Leave your phone at home or turn it off - for real. Don’t just put your devices in the other room - cut the power at the source, or leave your phone behind entirely. Practice with small increments.
Don’t feel the need to respond to non-urgent text messages, email, or DMs right away. Just because someone contacts you, doesn’t mean you owe them an immediate response.
2. Do Something that Brings You Joy
Choose to take a moment, an hour, or even a day to do something that makes you feel good. Take a walk or a short hike. Rewatch a favorite movie. Eat a meal that always hits the spot. Say yes to anything that brings laughter.
3. Honor Your Capacities
Set boundaries by saying no. Say no well before you are overextended or are approaching your capacity. If you cannot take on something extra, or you just do not want to do something, it is ok to say no.
Take a deep breath and push out the guilt. There is no shame in truthfully stating your needs and taking care of your physical and mental health.
4. Rest to Refresh and Restore
Focus on rest as more than solely a break. Allow yourself the space to reset, refresh, and rebuild.
Give yourself at least one full night of sleep during the week. Check out Harvard Business Review’s “Sleep Well, Lead Better.”
The sense of urgency we feel around certain tasks may not be necessary - what can wait? What can be rescheduled? Do it later!
5. Extra Tips
Breathing exercises: research has shown that breath control can both reduce anxiety and help guide our bodies and minds into relaxed states.
Mindfulness techniques: check out some of the 1-minute mindfulness exercises on PsychCentral, or the variety of exercises and resources available on Mindful.
For napping techniques, check out resources on Mayo Clinic.
Reflections
Where did you learn that staying busy and taking on more were signs of your success and value as a person? Why do you think rest is stigmatized?
What are ways that you can model rest for those around you?
How might shifting societal conversations around rest lead towards a stronger you and a more supportive community?
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