The importance of rest: The missing puzzle piece to wellbeing

Rest is such an under-rated and neglected aspect of our health & wellbeing, and yet, it truly is, in my opinion, the most important thing we can do for ourselves, especially if we already find ourselves dealing with health issues. In this post, I'll be discussing why it's so important, what proper rest looks like, and how we can implement it into our daily routine.

For a lot of people, resting looks like an evening in front of the TV, scrolling on the phone, or doing some sort of 'consuming' type activity. I think most of us know that this is not the best 'rest' we could be doing, but unfortunately we do it anyway. If we're completely honest with ourselves though, if we are consuming something, then we're not actually resting. The mind is taking in all this information, and while our bodies may be still, the mind is working hard. True rest, is rest for our body, mind and spirit.

For many people, there is a reason why as soon as they have time to rest, they go straight into a 'consuming' activity. When we rest, truly rest, we actually can hear ourselves think, and for some people this is uncomfortable. When you become aware of what you are thinking, you may not like the thoughts that you are having. Maybe you start re-playing an embarrassing moment that happened earlier. Maybe you start worrying about the future, or start thinking about your problems. Maybe you become aware that your shoulders are tight and your body feels out of sorts. So you whip your phone out and start scrolling, and it all stops. Such relief! You are now, once again, numb to your body, drowning out the thoughts with noise, and you escape.

You're not really escaping though - in fact, you're trapping these thoughts inside, because you are not allowing yourself the time and the space to process what happens in the day. We want our emotions and thoughts to be like a flowing river, always moving, water coming in, passing through, and flowing out. The river flows when we acknowledge, feel and respond to what happens to us, in the present moment. Crying when we are hurt, moving when we feel anger, sighing to release stress are all examples of this processing. Feeling and responding, which requires rest, quiet, space.

Why do we need to hear ourselves think? Well, our subconscious mind, and our daily thought processes essentially control our life and the outcomes that we experience. You may wonder why you always seem to fail, but maybe you consistantly tell yourself you're not good enough without even realising it. If you never stopped to rest, or took the time to listen to that inner voice speak, you may never realise this. Becoming aware of what we're thinking allows us to notice our state of mind, which we can then adjust to change our life. I call this "Border control". I will expand on this in another blog post which I will link here:

This is how I filter my thoughts to re-program my subconscious mind.

The quality of our rest impacts the quality of our whole life.

Some people don't rest because they feel extremely guilty about resting, and have a need to always be doing something productive. They place their value in what they do, what they have achieved for the day. It's not enough for them to just exist and be. I think this can also happen because people think that resting means doing absolutely nothing at all, which is just not the case. In fact, when we rest, that's when our bodies and minds are doing the absolute most! As soon as we create that restful space for ourselves, the body goes, right, now I can start healing that issue, I can digest that food that has been causing bloating all day. The mind starts working through emotions, identifying what's going on internally and what you need to do about it. The answers to all your problems are there inside you, within your God-given wisdom, waiting for you to be available to listen. So actually, it is the most productive thing you can be doing. Rest and receive.

How to properly rest: A summary

• Rest requires quiet. We need to be able to listen to the thoughts in our head.

• We're not consuming or creating. We are just 'being'.

• Resting does not mean doing nothing. We can be walking, moving the body.

• Resting is not a conscious effort to become aware. Awareness just happens as a result of resting

• Resting is productive, so don't give guilt permission to torment you.

Rest will look different for everyone, as we all have places where we feel calm and connected and relaxed. For me, it's walking in nature, hearing the birds in the trees and the sounds of nature. Going for a walk is part of my daily routine, and so I naturally have these pockets of rest structured into my day. For someone else it might be gardening, or playing an instrument etc. Find what works for you, and treat your times of rest with just as much respect and dedication as you do your work. It is just as, if not more, important.

If you struggle with your health, setting goals, changing your habits or just want more support for your wellbeing, consider booking a discovery call with me to dip your toes in the water of health coaching, and see if it would be right for you, or get in touch with any enquiries to pilatesbysana@gmail.com

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