the importance of rest
Rest does not necessarily mean sleep.
Sleep is, of course, amazingly important. And yes, let’s get more of that too while we’re at it.
What I mean by rest is intentionally putting yourself into the parasympathetic state: the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system.
Resting in the parasympathetic state is the opposite of the stressed, triggered, “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system state that most of us spend too much time in.
The problem is, modern life gives us many events that trigger our sympathetic nervous system into the activated fight or flight state.
Modern life does not give us many events that put us into the resting nervous system, unless we create these events for ourselves.
This is especially true for healthcare workers who often encounter violent patients, people who yell at them, life or death Codes, the list goes on…
If you work in a stressful environment, and then drive home in traffic, and then get worked up at home, and then scroll on your phone before bed, your body and brain is spending the majority of time in the triggered sympathetic nervous system. This leads to chronic stress, irritability, and gut health issues.
It’s imperative to balance out all these stressors with time spent in the parasympathetic state.
Time spent resting.
Rest does not mean you are lazy.
You do not need to feel guilty when you take time to rest.
Feeling guilty is a habitual response you’ve developed over years of being told by society that you need to always be doing something, and taking care of others instead of yourself. This is not your fault nor is it a problem. Now that you are aware of feeling guilty, you can change it.
You are doing amazing work taking care of others. Doing this work does take a toll on your physical and mental health if it isn’t balanced with taking care of yourself, too.
If you want your body to heal and recover from stressful shifts, you need to spend more time resting.
If you want your brain to calm down after your child has yet another tantrum, you need to spend more time resting.
What is rest?
Two of my favorite definitions of rest when I searched online:
to stop being active for a period of time in order to relax and get back your strength
(Cambridge dictionary)
peace of mind or spirit
(Merriam-Webster dictionary)
“Relaxing” and finding “peace” both happen when you are in the parasympathetic, rest and digest nervous system. Don’t hang out forever in the stressed state! Come on over to the rested side.
The options to rest your body and mind are endless. You don’t have to be inactive to rest and feel better. Think of sitting down and scrolling on your phone, how often do you feel rested after that?
The point is to let go of stressful thoughts while you are doing something you enjoy.
No rush. No urgency. No guilt. No to-do list. You’ve got this.
Get started today
Here are some ideas to get you started. Add your own to the list:
Rest is listening to music. Put some on while cooking dinner, the effect is magic
Rest is taking a long walk
Rest is taking a short walk
Rest is listening to the birds on your walk
Rest is reading a book even when the house is a mess
Rest is spending time outside with your kids
Rest is snuggling before bed time with a goodnight story
Rest is spending 5 minutes in stillness and quiet in the morning focusing on your breath
Rest is becoming the watcher of your thoughts and letting go of harmful thoughts
Rest is crocheting or learning to do something with your hands
Rest is singing with your patients or coworkers or kids in the car
Rest is intentionally watching something on TV that brings you joy, without also being on your phone
Rest is feeling grateful for the big things in life. And the little things
Rest is following a guided meditation
Rest is cooking a nourishing meal
Rest is spending time being bored, not always occupied or looking at something
Rest is watering your plants not thinking about everything else you have to do, but thinking about how lovely the sun is and the way the water reflects the light
You see, rest isn’t only about sitting down and resting your physical body.
It’s about resting in your body as well as resting in your thoughts.
We have the ability to trigger our fight or flight system just with our thoughts alone. When you are resting it’s important to also let go of any thoughts that are causing you stress and anxiety. You can do this by focusing on what you see, hear, and feel while walking, listening to music etc.
The benefits of rest
You can only properly digest your food and absorb those nutrients you are trying so hard when you are in the resting state
You can only sleep peacefully and continuously when you are rested
You can respond with grace instead of irritation to your kids’ bickering when you are rested
You can react to life’s many stressors with resilience and flexibility when you are rested
When you rest, you are taking care of yourself. And taking care of yourself is one of the best ways to take care of others in your life. You might even inspire them to rest, too.
Resting lowers stress, anxiety and blood pressure
You’ll find yourself in a better, more even mood with consistent rest
You can even improve your immune and heart health with rest
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”
Remember, rest means you spend time in the parasympathetic state where your body receives all the calming and restorative hormones and chemicals it needs to feel better.
You have permission to rest.
You do not need to “earn” rest by checking off everything on your to-do list and then doing your favorite calming activity.
Because the to-do list never ends. Do not wait to add spending time in the parasympathetic nervous state into your day when everything else is done.
Add resting to your to-do list if that helps you.
Start now. Pick one thing where you are resting in your body and resting in your thoughts (no worrying about your to-do list!) today.
Let me know how it goes.
xo, Sarah
Want help feeling inspired to add more rest into your day? Join my newsletter for updates on physical and mental health. Your body and brain will so appreciate the improvements in gut, immune, heart and emotional health by spending time in rest. See you there.
