Did you notice that most of the people you are asking ‘’how are you’’ to, answer back ‘’oh, I am really busy’’, as if answering back with anything else would portrait them as lazy, or lacking of something.
Of course, the ‘’hustle and bustle’’ is part of anyone’s day, but we are kind of forgetting the natural rhythm of our lives.
The ancient Chinese wisdom of the 5 elements teaches us that each process, each season, even each person lives by a natural cycle. Normally, we would begin by rising, to then moving towards our peak moment of energy and to then start to slow down, until we find ourselves nesting and regenerating. We can see the same cyclicity reflected in nature, with the seasons; nature blooms in spring, to reach its highest activity peak during summer, slowing down in fall, to rest and regenerate in winter.
Resting it’s an essential dowel to make the wheel work and run smoothly. Specifically, unplugging is a fundamental part of health and happiness. Some of the major benefits of resting are:
- It heals our body
- It reduces stress
- It boosts creativity
- It makes us happier
But way to often resting and sleeping a proper number of hours is underrated. If there is something that people are willing to compromise is normally hours of sleep and moments of rest over anything else.
We need rest and we need sleep in order to live a balanced life.
Sure, we can run up and down like headless chickens and most probably our physical bodies will support the rhythm for a while, also thanks to rushes of adrenalines which keeps us going, but eventually, both our physical and emotional wellbeing will start weakening and we will start showing symptoms (i.e., headaches, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, and inability to focus, among others).
At this point we put a plaster to cover the symptoms but we never really go to the source of it: tiredness.
I think there is still a big taboo around dedicating a certain amount of time to rest and sleep, especially during a busy day. Clearly not every time that we are tired we should drop everything and go take a nap (that would be quite the idyllic lifestyle ☺ ) but we should learn to keep an eye on our energy level, and when possible, instead of powering through, take a few minute to breath in, breath out and reset.
Awareness is an essential tool we can use to feel and analyze where we are at, how tired we feel, how necessary is it to keep going, and ask ourselves what good would it do to us and to those around? Being able to determine what we need in each moment of our day and try to come to a more balanced state is truly a super power.
It takes time, self-love and trust to put aside the conditioning of society and the guilt feeling that we might experience. Nurturing ourselves and filling our own cup before attending to everything else, it’s actually what makes everything else possible.
Once your body is rested and your mind is calm, your emotions are brighter and more positive. I can assure you that you will be able to perform much better and at a much faster pace at your job, or with your kids, or at any physical activity. This is because your mind, your body and your soul are aligned and are able to energetically support you.
It’s quite unfair to expect ourselves to be engaged and active all the time, it’s quite unfair to push our physical and mental boundaries to please a belief that only by powering through you get things done, it’s just really unfair to love ourselves a little bit less.
So, my advice to you, sleep 6 to 8 hours a night, hit the pause button a few times during the day, engage in social activities when you really feel like doing so, and learn to forget the sense of guilt for taking care of yourself. Your body, your mind and your soul will thank you.
Then, wait and notice the power of rest unfolding before you.
If you are curious to know more, stay tuned, for the next article and follow me on @conscious_body_soul for daily tips on how to live holistically without feeling completely overwhelmed.
Oh, also, don’t forget to check out the section ‘’Work with me’’ – Start here, you will find a lot of goodies which will help you start your holistic lifestyle. And, you can always book a 30-minutes discovery call with me, to explore the different ways we can work together and how I can support you in your journey.