May You Rest Now

There is this horrible saying ‘you can rest when you are dead’ as in, for now keep pushing, keep going. That thinking goes against how we humans are designed. We are designed for rest. We need rest. Much like a cellphone battery we need to be recharged. A ‘dead’ phone is of no use (other than as a paper weight) and we humans function much the same way.

When we don’t get recharged, daily, we lose functionality, we operate on a very limited basis, and much slower, with poorer outcomes. We are designed with rest being a core component for best performance. And don’t just mean at work. I mean we need rest to be our highest best selves across the board: in thinking, making decisions, in relationships. In both ‘being’ and ‘doing’.

When we have the insight that we require rest to function, we can move away from this idea that rest is something we ‘deserve’. No, we don’t deserve rest because we worked extra hard for 5 days and now have a weekend. No, we don’t deserve rest as a thank you for performing, producing, working. We NEED rest. Every day. That’s how we were designed and put together. Rest needs to be a priority.

Small doses of rest daily. Centering, grounding, just being.

I start my day with meditation, in a sense charging my ‘rest battery’ before the day has started in earnest. Over the course of the day, I take a minute here and there to do a breathing exercise. I aim to plan my day so I get a 20 minute nap in around 3pm.

How do I have time for that?

How do you not have time for that?? Rest, rejuvenation and recovery means I bring more of my best self to all aspects on my life. I’m making better decisions, I have more patience and care for my loved ones, I am a better listener, a better leader. I can’t afford to not rest.

How do you recharge during your day?