November 21, 2013
It just takes one visit to a kids’ sporting event to see that we live in a society that is very competitive, and very fast paced. There are deadlines to meet, people to meet, work to do, and fun to have. We want to do more, score more, and earn more. The world has a way of stigmatizing the very necessary process of relaxation as either laziness or as a luxury. Society, it seems, functions best on high activity and high stress loads, but as children stories always demonstrate, things are not always as they seem. It is true that too much rest can make us slow, hurt our health, lethargize our ambitions, and stunt our growth. However, rest is a very important part of life. Rest allows our bodies to stay fit, and to fight off illness. It allows our minds to breath and refocus, not to mention stirring a little creativity within us.
It is important, both for our physical and mental heath to take the time to rest. Take the time to read fiction in the evenings. Put all of your projects away for a weekend, and go for a drive out to the water to take in the beautiful scenery. Take advantage of the rainy day and just sit inside all day watching movies, sipping hot chocolate, and letting your mind wander. Take a hot bath, letting the warm water draw out your stiffness, nervousness, or whatever else ails you. Put on that pink robe you keep in the back of your closet. Eat a green salad with lots of peppers, tomatoes, olives, broccoli, artichokes, and olive oil. Enjoy some warm tea with honey, or fresh fruit juice. Take a nap. Take two. Take a play off. Your mind and body will thank you.
When you feel your body trying to get sick, use the nights and weekends to heal. Rest your body. Most of the chores get wait. Get enough to eat, enough water to drink, and get enough sleep. Save the pushing yourself for work and things that really matter, or before you know it you won’t feel up for those either. When your feel yourself becoming more and more anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed, use your free time to unwind. People have lots of ways to deal with stress, both healthy and unhealthy, but we often forget how much sleep and rest can resolve rather effortlessly.
Like everything else, how much rest is best is a balancing act. Do take advantage of rest to heal your body and mind when it needs it. Don’t use illness as a constant excuse to be lazy. When you find yourself always “resting,” it has gone to far. Enough rest allows your body to heal its muscles, fight and recover from illness, and prepare for new challenges. Too much rest allows your muscles to weaken, your body to be caught off guard, and you to avoid new challenges. Rest will not accomplish anything in and of itself, but it will allow you to accomplish much more than you thought you had time for. The more difficult it is for you to relax and do nothing, the more you probably need it. Rest is a balance, but it is necessary whether we like it or not. Feel free to watch the game every once in a while, before you get back to playing in it.
-Michael Speck