REST AND REVIVE

 Recently I had four beautiful days off. 

As luck would have it, they were in a row. Unlike so many previous occasions, I had the rare opportunity of pleasing myself rather than my overburdened diary or conscience. 

It doesn’t matter how you choose to avoid it; not taking the time to rest and reflect takes its toll, whoever you are and however capable. 

Busy lives, multiple responsibilities, and high expectations – be they personal, familial or professional – have become deeply normalised in our society. And that goes for many children too, who embark on multiple sports and educational extracurricular activities – the reflection of a deep-rooted social norm. 

I used to think slowing down was really ‘stopping’ in disguise, and I imagined numerous consequences, all of them dire. You’d let someone down, be less productive and fail to achieve the various goals that had been set, but multiple studies actually suggest otherwise. 

“Rest is an essential element of working well and working smart,” states Alex Soojung-Kim Pang in his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. 

Two of the six ways the author recommends using rest to benefit creativity include: 

1. Creating an early morning routine. Routines are said to enhance creativity. By allowing a system to support a routine, you have a better opportunity and timeframe to utilise creative thought processes. Being a natural early bird, I can definitely subscribe to that. 

2. Napping. Sleep scientists have found that 30-minute naps can increase alertness and decrease fatigue, allowing you to move forward with what you’re doing rather than losing your way. 

So, consider these as you seek to restore fractured energy and decreased creativity. 

I leave you with the words of Mr Soojung-Kim Pang: “Rest isn’t idleness. It can be a key to a better life.”