Why are Rest and Relaxation Important?
When was the last time you allowed yourself real rest and relaxation?
I am not talking about sleep, or a little weekend escape, I mean actual, factual relaxation and resting from your responsibilities?
Modern society frowns on taking breaks. We have this incessant need to go go go, and anybody who doesn’t reflect that is either lazy, entitled, or otherwise not contributing to the greater good.
Is that total bullshit, or what?
Yes, the human body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for both our physical and emotional health. But sleep is not enough. Many people, when they go to sleep, still find their minds racing with all sorts of thoughts.
We think about today, tomorrow, yesterday. There is a replay of how events went versus how we wanted them to go; or a preview of coming events, both as we wish and as we do not. If, like me, you are almost constantly thinking, it can be really hard to turn your brain off. Sleep may come, but does it actually bring with it rest?
Then there is relaxation. Dictionary.com defines relaxation as, “the state of being free from tension and anxiety.” Also, “the restoration of equilibrium following disturbance.” As such, relaxation involves regaining balance in life.
I know people who thrive on stress. Some of them simply seem to draw it to themselves, in some cases because they define themselves by how they handle stress, and in others because of perpetual victimhood. Either way, I believe the fail to see that it is not healthy.
Stress in small doses can be a motivator. But as stress piles on it can begin to take us down. It usually begins mentally, as we lose focus. Then it gets emotional, as we become irritable. When it gets physical, we get sick.
Rest and relaxation are necessities.
Despite what many think, and what society seems to put out there, rest and relaxation are as necessary to our lives as eating and breathing. They help us to be balanced.
Balanced? While most of us exist in the various grey and color areas between black and white, the polar opposites, times present a need to balance between them. There is yin and yang, and excesses often need to be balanced out to bring about equilibrium. You cannot go go go without needing to stop stop stop at some point.
That is why we need to take time for rest and relaxation. Without them, we will come apart at the seams. This can be mental, emotional, or physical.
The mental, as mentioned before, starts with loss of focus. Then we begin to make mistakes, fail at good judgment, and tend to become unable to concentrate or get done things we desire or need to get done.
Emotionally, we start getting irritable. Then angry. We get short tempered, frustrated, and start to become increasingly negative. Blame may get thrown out at others, because the hurt and frustration begin to overwhelm. This can get really ugly.
Then it turns physical. We experience shortness of breath. Panic attacks. You might get a cold, the flu, or some other illness. Or cancer. Or you have a heart attack. Perhaps, if you have taken on enough stress, you just may die from it.
Getting in rest and relaxation can prevent this from ever getting that bad. Why we do not accept this for as essential as it is I cannot entirely fathom. But when we recognize the dire importance and necessity of this, we can work to do something with it. We can find, make, and take time for it.
Rest and relaxation embrace change
I think one of the biggest issues we run into with change it that we are unprepared for it. We have so much going on, so frequently, that when change occurs, whether wanted or unwanted, it feels overwhelming. Even when it’s not, it still can feel as if it’s too much.
If we were more rested and more relaxed, however, I believe that change would be far less freaky. Not only that, but I believe we’d be better equipped to handle change as it occurs.
When we take more time to get rest and to relax, we open ourselves up to more stability, more balance, and far more ability to cope with anything that comes our way. Society’s expectations and demands on us can be exhausting. We need to breathe. We need to take breaks, and we need to pause to hit the rest button far more often than we do.
Consciousness creates reality. When we are rested and relaxed, it is easier to be aware in the here-and-now, and as such use our thoughts, feelings, and intentional actions to manifest greater goods we desire for our lives.
If you have been following this blog for any amount of time, you might realize that this is the week I take my annual trek out to the Pennsic War. I am getting some much needed rest and relaxation. There are big plans in the works after I get home. It should be some exciting stuff.
Hope you consider taking time for a break of your own, soon.
When was the last time you allowed yourself real rest and relaxation?
This is the three-hundred forty-fifth entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas for, and my personal experiences with, walking along the path of life. I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-blog and share.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
After more than 6 years of Pathwalking, I have launched a Patreon to garner support for these works, and more.
