Your Best
Resting
Dunno about y’all, but all this heat is wearing me out. I’m tired. Which has me thinking about resting.
Getting enough rest is an important element of well-being. Unfortunately, often under-valued, many people work too much and don’t get enough sleep. Ever heard the phrase, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”? Certainly speaks to the notion that we need to get as much done as possible now, sacrificing sleep so more can be accomplished.
Sleep and rest support growth, learning, health, clear thinking or focus and the ability to manage our emotions. A couple of key symptoms of any mental health issue include sleep and appetite changes, either too much or too little. No one can manage their emotions well if they’re sleep deprived.
One perspective on productivity is to look at it like a cycle with stages or phases. Let’s start with getting an idea. Some new inspiration captivates you and you want to make it happen. That’s the first stage. I enjoy weaving so let’s use that as an example, like weaving a shawl. You can consider any craft or hobby as examples.
Then comes planning. We do our research and plan steps to transform our idea into something real. For the shawl, there’s picking the colors, the material or fiber and number crunching how much yarn is needed for warp and weft as well as figuring out how to warp (or set up) the loom.
The next stage is the work—the stage where we sweat and put in effort. During this phase, we have an opportunity to learn from trial and error, adjust course and keep working, moving forward. This will include warping the loom then weaving in the weft. As with any project, all kinds of issues can present themselves during the process. We just meet each one as it comes, solve it and move forward to meet the next one, if/ when it comes up, resolve it, etc, until the project is finished.
Eventually we come to completion and the original inspiration is now real. The shawl is pulled off the loom. Finishing touches and washing bring the project to full completion then comes the posting pictures of it on Facebook or other social media!
The resting phase includes putting the loom and yarn away and taking a break from weaving. This is so vitally important: to celebrate the accomplishment and then rest. It’s easy to skip over this stage but doing that invites burnout. Vacations are a kind of rest phase. Remember the summer after high school graduation? Spending time with friends before everyone disperses for their next stage—a very important time in growing up.
When I was contemplating writing about resting, the phrase “sleepy little town” came to mind and I laughed to myself about the irony of that concept. Sure, small town life tends to be quieter, but lots of folks are just as busy in small towns—if not more—than in cities. With fewer people, each has to do more for the whole to work well.
Ok, nap time! Hope everyone is able to get some extra rest this week. See if it feels different.
Agree? Disagree? Questions? All feedback welcome! Email YourBestHereOlney@gmail.com. Feel free to make suggestions if there’s a topic you’d like to hear more about. All feedback will remain confidential (unless limited by law). Mona Bernhardt, LCSW, who grew up in Olney, works to alleviate suffering and set people free.