[2020-09-10] Rest
I'm a reluctant rester. I think it comes from FOMO (fear of missing out) or FONGTD (fear of not getting things done). OK, I made that last one up.
Since I've been home from the hospital, I have taken only two naps during the day, one of which was today. Otherwise—good or bad sleep—once I'm up, I'm up for the day.
When I think of resting, I think of napping or of sitting quietly, perhaps listening to an audio book. But there are other ways to rest, as I learned from a short video that a friend pointed out to me. The video is by Brian Johnson and is based on The Power of Rest by Matthew Edlund, M.D.
In the video, Johnson distinguishes between passive rest—sleeping and napping—and active rest, which includes things we can do during the day to rejuvenate ourselves. Johnson discusses four domains in which we can actively rest: mental, physical, social and spiritual.
- To actively rest our minds, we can meditate. Johnson says that we needn't worry that we're not meditating correctly any more than we would wonder whether we're brushing our teeth properly. "Just brush your mind," he says.
- To actively rest our bodies, we can breathe deeply—something you can do anywhere: in your car during traffic, in the checkout line at the grocery store, or when waiting for an elevator.
- To actively rejuvenate our social selves, we can hang out with friends. "Find ways to interact in meaningful ways with people around you throughout the day," Johnson advises.
- To actively rejuvenate our spiritual selves, we can pray—whatever that means to each of us. It could be as simple as spending a minute reflecting on all the amazing things in our lives and appreciating the beautiful life that is unfolding.
What I like about this video is the distinction between passive and active rest and the identification of different aspects of ourselves that we can renew throughout the day. I would not have thought of hanging out with friends as a form of rest, but it is. I have often found that visits from my mom and sister (socially distanced on my deck) are restorative, as are virtual exchanges by email or text with friends. And while I'm not one to pray, I did reflect on all the wonderful people in my life as I went into surgery and that was incredibly calming.
Johnson notes that it's not that we work too hard, but that we don't recover enough. That's good advice for me at the best of times—I tend to just power through all things—and especially important as I continue my recovery from surgery.
