This article is part ofSELFs Rest Week, an editorial package dedicated to doing less.
(And were taking our own advice: TheSELFstaff will be OOO during this time!)
And I still felt like shit.
Amrita Marino
make a run at do them only for set times with regular rest in between.
Over time, its become increasingly clear to me that resting isnt as easy as it sounds.
So, what does rest look and feel like, exactly?
What counts as resting, and when are we simply swathing ourtoxic productivityin soft pants and a robe?
What does it mean to really, truly, rest?
However, there could be a general consensus around what it couldfeellike.
When I am resting, my mind isnt ruminating.
Its important to consider both your bodyandyour mind when it comes to rest.
Theyre always in communication, informing each other what condition one is in.
Our brain activity, our neurological activity, is some of our most energetically demanding actually, Seltzer says.
It isnt just your muscles that do work.
All of your organ systems do work, and your brain and your heart tend to demand a lot.
So if youre thinking very hard, you are definitely doing work.
It does you very little good to be in bed while your mind is racing, Conlon says.
Rest appears when ones needs and longing correspond to the shape and character of the environment.
(Am I crying reading a scientific paper?
Maybe!!!)
Everybody has different natural ability levels, she says.
And I think there is a learning curve.
This can help you start to notice patterns and pick up on clues that youre still doing too much.
And thats not necessarily a good idea.
But my stress remained high while doing soI was still getting orange bars.
Thats the thing: Its not enough to pay attention.
If your body is telling you to rest, its important to act on that information.
Yeah, yeah, I think I’m getting sick.
Noyouknowyou’re getting sick.
A lot of times people think,Oh, well let me just wait, she continues.
So, what is your body telling you to do?
Cut what youre doing by 99%, Conlon says.
This stuff happens, and its not a moral failing on your part if it does.
It can also be helpful to accept, from the start, that rest can be…monotonous.
We all have different levels of things that are cognitively chill, Seltzer says.
Is that reality incredibly annoying?
But remember that youreunwellby definition, its not going to be a fun time.
People who are sick, in particular, have to learn to be bored, Seltzer says.
Sometimes youre just staring at the ceiling.
We have built a society where its nearly impossible to rest, Seltzer says.
What will you do if you cant work?
Who will care about you?
Who will you be if youre not your job or your family role?
[But] People have value regardless of what they can accomplish on the behalf of others.
What am I going to do?
But, really, anything is better than nothing.
You dont have to go to extremes, Conlon says.
you might start with little things.
Go ahead, do some workbut do a little bit and then go rest a bit.
Give yourself some time to rest and re-energize.
If youre attempting a task and find that youre struggling with it, give yourself permission to just pause.
Theres nothing that says that you have to do things the way youve always done them.
Its important to ask for help and embrace vulnerability.
Especially for people who struggle with perfectionism, that vulnerability piece actually feels like weakness, Conlon says.
But when youre sick or burned out or exhausted, you simply cant go it alone forever.
Dr. Asp says that trusting others to help take care of you is a key aspect of meaningful rest.
As an adult, you have responsibility for a lot of things and projects, she tells SELF.
To feel that responsibility all the time without break can create exhaustion.
Another factor to consider: Given any particular task, are you the only one who can do it?
This isnt something that you might push through, she says.
This is one of those knots where the harder you pull, the tighter it gets.
