Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am terrible at resting. Give me a spare minute, and I am going to do my best to find a way to fill that minute. Some of my many nicknames include the blur (because I am always moving) and the energizer bunny. But I do not believe that I am alone in this.
The culture that we live in promotes productivity and being busy as a way of life. It seems as if we are taught the more busy we are, the more important we are. It is often we hear people bragging about how busy they are, as if it were a badge of honor.
But being so busy means that people do not have a chance to rest. While this may not seem like a big deal, resting is important to one’s mental and emotional health. Many studies show that resting actually increases your productivity. It also leads to an increase in positive moods, and even helps with physical fitness!
When I recommend to my clients that they make time for rest and self-care, often they are skeptical. They just made the list for me of all the things they have to do- why in the world am I telling them to rest? I personally have learned the hard way that without rest, people can get dangerously close to burnout. I tell my clients that the half hour or so spent resting is so much more profitable then continuing to sit for hours attempting to be productive but just “spinning their wheels”, so to speak.
So please join me in learning how to rest. Take time out of your day to walk the beach, watch a mindless TV show, enjoy the sunshine, read a book… something that give you life. Many people that I speak to are afraid that once they start resting, they will not be able to stop and will not be productive that day. To that I say, set a timer, or do something that has a natural time limit (such as a half hour TV show).
Now get out and rest on this beautiful day!
