There is Power in Rest!

Resting is important and something we often don’t allow ourselves to do. Or at least not without feeling terrible about it. It’s easy to label ourselves “lazy,” feel behind, or like we’re wasting our time when we’re going through a season of rest. If you’ve been feeling any of these things lately, this post is for you! I’m going to tell you why rest is not only healing, but it is necessary and powerful.

Importance of Rest

The power and importance of rest is EXTREMELY underrated! In today’s society, it has become a common piece of advice to grind, overwork ourselves, hustle, go without sleep, and go without proper nourishment every single day until we reach our goals. I’m here to tell you this is NOT healthy! Is there a time and place for this sort of behavior? Absolutely! Is it going to be every single day of every single month of the year? No.

Rest is important because when we take the time to fill ourselves up, we have more to give. Not only do we have more, but the quality of what we’re giving is better too. It’s a win-win! When we look at nature, it shows us there are seasons for everything. Plants and trees are not in bloom year-round. So why do we think we’re supposed to be? If we don’t stop and allow ourselves to rest when needed, life circumstances will force us to. Whether that be burnout, health issues, lack of opportunities, etc.

Have you ever wondered why you’re so tired when you’re feeling sick? And all you want to do is lay around and sleep? It’s because your body is forcing you to rest. Why? Because rest is healing! It is revitalizing! It restores us. And once we realize the power of rest, we can begin using it to our advantage instead of demonizing it.

There’s Power in Rest

How might we use rest to our advantage? Well, here’s an example. Imagine you have a project you’re wanting to finish quickly, but you’re also wanting it to be your best work. Your first instinct may be to sacrifice sleep, stay up until 2am every night for a week, and only get 4 hours of sleep. Sounds productive right? But let’s say you were to go the other route and choose preserving your sleep. If you were to go to sleep at 11pm every night and get 7 hours of sleep, that could be quite beneficial as well. By choosing this, you will have more energy and increased focus. Meaning you should be able to work more efficiently because you’re not getting distracted (or dozing off). Your thoughts and ideas will be more clear so the quality of your work will be improved too. Not to mention, you may be able to achieve your “flow” state much more quickly. You can see, then, how adequate rest actually helps this situation.

Now I’m not saying never stay up until 2am working on a project, especially if that’s when your creative mind happened to kick in or that’s the time when you work best. What I’m saying is rest doesn’t have to equate to less productivity. If used properly, it should actually lead to more productivity. 

What is rest?

Rest doesn’t always have to mean sleeping either. It’s taking the time to do whatever your body needs in that moment to recharge. It could be sleep, but it could also be reading, taking a hot shower, eating a healthy snack, going for a walk, sitting out in nature, catching up with a friend, cuddling your pets, etc. It doesn’t have to take a “long time” either. The key here is to listen to the needs of your body and then meet them efficiently. Not to ignore your body’s needs until you have absolutely nothing left to give and you’re on the brink of exhaustion, burnout, and sickness.

[DISCLAIMER:] Like anything else we engage in, rest needs to be balanced. Too much rest can be just as harmful as adequate rest is healing. The way we know rest has become harmful is when it’s no longer helping. Rest should refresh us, re-energize us, and renew us. It should motivate us to reach our goals. If you find that you’re resting frequently, but not feeling these results and perhaps feeling the opposite, that’s a sign you may be overindulging. When rest is interfering with your daily tasks and keeping you from the things and people you used to enjoy, that’s when it’s time to recognize there’s an imbalance that needs to be addressed. If that’s you right now, try engaging in some high-vibe activities on a consistent basis and watch your mood and energy level change!

Conclusion

In conclusion, rest is our body’s way of recharging. We need rest to heal and keep our cups full so we have something to pour from. And so we’re showing up at our peak every day, able to give 110% of our best quality work. Rest is a completely natural phase, and sometimes we enter seasons where rest is the ultimate goal. I myself am just coming out of a rest season, which is why I decided to write this. Please be patient with yourself and understand this is what your body needs at this time in order to evolve. Take care of yourselves. Love and peace.