The Importance Of Rest.
Rest is not something that comes easily for me. I am the sort of person that is perpetually in motion. Even after a full day of teaching and work, it’s really challenging for me to sit down. I also wake up early on Saturdays and vacations. My husband, who incidentally is very good at lounging, regularly commands that I “sit down already.”
With all my studies in neuroscience, burnout, therapeutic and restorative yoga, you would think I automatically made rest a regular part of my life. But I’ve found it challenging to actually relax.
In Overwhelmed*, Brigid Schulte interviews neuroscientist Emily Ansell who says “that when a human feels pressed for time, rushed and caught up in the overwhelm (of life) that the (brain’s) PreFrontal Cortex actually shrinks”. This is the part of our brain that governs how we think and reason, how we learn, concentrate, remember, judge and control ourselves; so when the PFC shrinks our ability to do any of these things is also diminished.
Knowing this still hasn’t made it easier to integrate rest into my days. Choosing to take a nap or lay down on my mat to restore instead of writing more emails or working feels wrong. Even when I write “take nap” in my planner – it doesn’t guarantee that it will happen.
That is until I came to the realization that if I don’t start resting on a very regular basis (read: daily), I won’t have the energy to sustain my life as I know it. The phrase “mind-body connection” can feel abstract because it gets thrown around so much. Science has proven that the connection indeed exists and that it needs to be nurtured in order for us to be well.
But if we are perpetually overdoing and under resting, rather than achieving wellness we are making ourselves vulnerable to deterioration of our cognitive function and our health. In short we get sick. And I don’t want to get sick OR lose brain matter.
So I’ve recommitted to regular conscious rest. Two days a week it holds a non-negotiable spot on my calendar. And the rewards are starting to pay off.
Lets hear from you.
What is keeping you from resting?
What roadblocks to you run into?
When was the last time you took a nap?