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“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.”
-Mark Black
In previous posts, I’ve written about how important it is to not let a goal become an obsession. Indeed, any goal needs focus and attention. But it also needs an amalgamation of hard work and then taking the time to acknowledge the hard work.
Or as it’s more commonly expressed, stop and smell the roses.
“I always REMINDED myself that this wasn’t exactly where I was meant to be, but pit stops are okay on the road of life, aren’t they?
-Lena Dunham
We’re all living in times in which mental rebooting has become absolutely essential to our sanity.
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”
-Alan Cohen
Dear Readers,
This week has been a myriad of ups and downs and I wasn’t able to contribute to this section much. For that I apologize. Along with a couple of personal issues, I’ve also been under the weather a little bit for the last 72 hours or so.
LYRICS
“Have regular hours for work & play; make each day both useful and pleasant and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.”
-Louisa May Alcott
How important is getting the proper rest in our lives?
According to most psychologists and life coaches, it’s as important, if sometimes not more, than the hard work we put in.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.”
-Anne Lamott
How important is taking a breather no matter what you’re doing?
In my opinion, it’s perhaps the most pivotal thing you can do when doing something difficult.
You not only get some physical rest but mental rest as well.
Very often, I think people tend to forget that the mind works just like a muscle. If you train it, excercise it and nourish it, it’ll grow exponentially.
But like with any other excercise routine, it needs time to break down and grow back stronger.
There are several other benefits to resting. There have been several documented examples of how people agonized over an idea for something only to have a clear answer after a good night’s sleep. That’s happened to me many times when I’m thinking about what topic to write about for this site.
When we sleep, our minds as well as our brains produce the lowest neurological activity which is why it’s so easy to drift in and out of dreams.
In essence, we take neurological vacations. It’s not too different from physically going on a vacation and coming back recharged.
Now imagine if those vacations could be more frequent and at will. Possibilities are endless.
Scientists have also argued that we’re more likely to have a “eureka” moment when we’re actually NOT thinking about the task at hand.
Similar to the example about sleep, there have also been instances when people try to come up with ideas only to give up and move on to another task out of frustration. A little while later, the idea will suddenly strike, seemingly out of nowhere.
But it’s not really “nowhere,” it’s actually stemming from some much needed rest.
At this point, let me clear and point out that there’s a significant difference between taking a breather and being outright lazy.
When you’re lazy, you sweep the dirt under the rug so you don’t see it. When you’re just taking a break, you leave it there with a sincere intention to get back to it.
How do you feel about taking breathers? Are they important to you? Do you function better or worse with them? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.
“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.”
-Mark Black
In previous posts, I’ve written about how important it is to not let a goal become an obsession.
I would like to expand on that thought to stress the importannce of relaxation.
Working hard and focusing are no doubt crucial to going forward in life.
Equally important, however, is to take a step back every once in a while and appreciate what you’ve accomplished so far.
It’s important to give yourself time to recharge your batteries.
And this ideology is stressed in any profession. That’s why there is a paid vacation period in almost every profession. That’s why bodybuilders advocate a rest day in between workouts.
And that’s just the physical side of it. Once we learn how to relax mentally, it allows us to be more clear headed and objective about dilemmas.
It’s just a matter of fully comprehending the benefits of it and making sure we’re doing it properly. Applying those two principles should make relaxtion the perfect antidote.
Agree or disagree with the advoce of relaxing? Join the discussion by commenting below to let me ypur views.