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February 24, 2013
rest (v.)
We all know what rest feels like - from times of catching the flu, or being sleepy, fatigued, or just plain lazy.
However, an interesting aspect of rest - as it is defined in physics - is rest as it refers to an object that is in a stationary state in relation to another object: "When the position of something with respect to its surroundings does not change with time it is said to be at rest," says Wikipedia.
On resting the body:
Over the last couple of weeks, my 40-hr work week, 8-hr/week commute on the bus, and sometimes restless sleep has caught up with me. My poor immune system that's successfully warded off every bug on this planet for the last year and a half finally gave up. I got sick. I then needed to become "stationary" in respect to my status quo self - the me that goes to work and functions effectively in the outside world; in other words, I needed to rest - my body.
However, how do we integrate rest into our everyday lives when we're not sick - when our mind needs rest, rather than our body?
On resting the mind - even when you're moving:
For me, often the best rest comes from the kinds of activities that resemble the complete opposite of lounging in sick-mode on the couch with a How I Met Your Mother marathon in the background. I can't seem to let go and "forget about the rest of it" and just relax. It's precisely the rest of everything - the obligations, the fun, the events, the adventures - that my mind needs most in order to really relax.
It's the work week that slowly builds up and tires my mind. Work challenges, long hours, lots of thinking, stress; these slowly wear on the mind and once the weekend comes along, my mind needs, well, a rest. However, my mind can't sit on the couch.
So, if my mind is to rest - i.e. find a "stationary" mode in relation to its state when it's in overdrive, working and thinking hard and being productive - it needs to find an opposite state.
What I've found is that it's possible to train your brain to derive rest from all sorts of activities - even ones that many of us may not think of as being necessarily restful. I've found rest in climbing a mountain; it's also enveloped me in the middle of chaturanga in yoga class. I find it frequently as I wander through grocery aisles picking up groceries for the week. And sometimes, my mind gets a great rest from the same activities as my body - when I cut myself off from the rest of the world and let go and embrace the rest of my body.
The key, I think, is in not obligating yourself to limit what rest can be. Instead, see it as something relative that depends on the world around you and where you are within it.
Perhaps you're a walking virus receptacle overhauled by a sinus headache that just needs to sleep; or perhaps you're a ball of fun that just needs to bounce somewhere new because the rhythm of the routine is deflating you; or maybe you just want to curl up somewhere and eat a bowl of chili and let the world pass you by. It doesn't matter - you'll find your rest.
Just observe: Has the world just started moving a bit faster and you need to catch up? Or is it you that's slowing down? Figure out your state and then rest up until you can get moving again.
Rest up, y'all!
However, an interesting aspect of rest - as it is defined in physics - is rest as it refers to an object that is in a stationary state in relation to another object: "When the position of something with respect to its surroundings does not change with time it is said to be at rest," says Wikipedia.
On resting the body:
Over the last couple of weeks, my 40-hr work week, 8-hr/week commute on the bus, and sometimes restless sleep has caught up with me. My poor immune system that's successfully warded off every bug on this planet for the last year and a half finally gave up. I got sick. I then needed to become "stationary" in respect to my status quo self - the me that goes to work and functions effectively in the outside world; in other words, I needed to rest - my body.
However, how do we integrate rest into our everyday lives when we're not sick - when our mind needs rest, rather than our body?
On resting the mind - even when you're moving:
For me, often the best rest comes from the kinds of activities that resemble the complete opposite of lounging in sick-mode on the couch with a How I Met Your Mother marathon in the background. I can't seem to let go and "forget about the rest of it" and just relax. It's precisely the rest of everything - the obligations, the fun, the events, the adventures - that my mind needs most in order to really relax.
It's the work week that slowly builds up and tires my mind. Work challenges, long hours, lots of thinking, stress; these slowly wear on the mind and once the weekend comes along, my mind needs, well, a rest. However, my mind can't sit on the couch.
So, if my mind is to rest - i.e. find a "stationary" mode in relation to its state when it's in overdrive, working and thinking hard and being productive - it needs to find an opposite state.
What I've found is that it's possible to train your brain to derive rest from all sorts of activities - even ones that many of us may not think of as being necessarily restful. I've found rest in climbing a mountain; it's also enveloped me in the middle of chaturanga in yoga class. I find it frequently as I wander through grocery aisles picking up groceries for the week. And sometimes, my mind gets a great rest from the same activities as my body - when I cut myself off from the rest of the world and let go and embrace the rest of my body.
The key, I think, is in not obligating yourself to limit what rest can be. Instead, see it as something relative that depends on the world around you and where you are within it.
Perhaps you're a walking virus receptacle overhauled by a sinus headache that just needs to sleep; or perhaps you're a ball of fun that just needs to bounce somewhere new because the rhythm of the routine is deflating you; or maybe you just want to curl up somewhere and eat a bowl of chili and let the world pass you by. It doesn't matter - you'll find your rest.
Just observe: Has the world just started moving a bit faster and you need to catch up? Or is it you that's slowing down? Figure out your state and then rest up until you can get moving again.
Rest up, y'all!
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Really interesting blog post, Visnja. Here is a great quote about rest, that pinpoints the sensation of true rest.
ReplyDelete"[When resting] we are suddenly lifted out of the process of time, removed from the world of natural and social change. Instead of creating the world anew, we are at one with the world ..."
I hope you keep up your writing.