Rest is Good!

On Sunday, I found myself feeling guilty for not being “productive.”  There were several things that I “should” have been doing — laundry, cleaning, etc.  I was standing in front of my kitchen window, looking out upon the woods behind our house, and running through the list of chores that I had been ignoring.  But I could not get myself to move!  It was as if my body was frozen to that spot.

It occurred to me then that perhaps my body’s wisdom was in charge in that moment!  No matter that  my mind continued to play its perpetual list of “should’s,” my body wasn’t budging.  It was telling me to stop.  Stop moving, stop thinking, stop fretting.  Just stop.

We are so geared toward constant productivity and action that we feel as if we are breaking a rule when we stop.  We apologize for feeling tired or for moving slowly.  We catastrophize and fear dire consequences if we don’t get just one more thing done before we rest.

The truth is, we are not machines.  We can’t — either physically or emotionally — keep going on and on and on without rest and refueling.  If we don’t expect our cars to run forever without fuel and some time to cool their engines, then why do we expect our bodies and our minds to work without rest and renewal?

When I was frozen in place at my kitchen window, I saw a huge buck nibbling on a tree at the edge of the woods.  I counted the points on his antlers — six.  And I noticed that deer antlers are fuzzy!  Have you ever noticed that?  I had not!  I wanted to run out to the buck and touch his fuzzy antlers!  Luckily, my body wouldn’t let me move to do that, either.

I emerged from my frozen state smiling, and contemplating fuzzy deer antlers.  Now, what was it that I had been thinking about earlier?  I couldn’t recall, and I didn’t try.

Remember that down time — rest — is not a luxury.  It is as basic a need as oxygen.  I encourage you to gently remind yourself of this the next time you are feeling pressured or panicked by the list of “should’s” in your mind, or by the nonsensical notion that you are worthless if you are not being productive in every moment.  Or think of it like this:  in rest, you are being productive — of a calmer, happier, healthier you!