Ancient Rhythms
My daughters’ pencils scratched across their drawing pads as they squinted at the tiny chrysalis in the butterfly enclosure. Their heads bobbed up and down from paper to subject as they tried to draw what they were seeing. It was stunningly beautiful. A milky pale green color studded with gold drops and a single black line, this temporary resting place was like a living gem. For 8-15 days (depending on temperature), the caterpillar would wait, completely still inside, and in that waiting, it would be utterly transformed.
“Here’s the paradox,” writes author Sue Monk Kidd, “we achieve our deepest progress standing still. When we keep the line moving forward at the expense of inward motion, something deep within us walks backwards.” She reminds us that no one can accomplish great things without rest or become a great person without embracing inner and outer stillness in order to see themselves clearly. What’s worse, if we don’t engage in this rhythm, eventually we’ll pay the price. We’ll actually hurt ourselves.
This “law” is written everywhere we look when we slow down enough to see it. After exercising, our muscles need a day or two of rest so they can build up the new muscle. Every 24 hours, our bodies need a cycle of sleep, a chance to fill the tank again from the energy draining experience that is being awake and alert. Caterpillars disappear into a chrysalis to grow their wings. Bears hibernate. Trees shed their leaves. Even the sun and the moon participate in a cycle of constant presence and absence. Nature is singing the song of rest.
And scientists are finding evidence that backs up nature’s wisdom.
Studies have been conducted that now show that taking a nap boosts our abilities in tasks that require perception and may even improve performance more than caffeine. Another study linked an increase in creative ideas to taking walks outside, and yet another found that stopping a project when you can still see what needs to happen next actually allows your subconscious mind to mull things over more deeply and return to the work fresher the next day (Pang, 2017).
A life without rest is a life that will lead to burnout.
A life with rest is a life that will grow in richness.
Henry David Thoreau, the much loved American poet devoted to slow living, wrote, “Nothing can be more useful to a man than a determination not to be hurried.” What if we refuse to buy into the lie that rest means doing nothing? What if instead we chose to believe that resting is as important as exercise or eating well? Today let’s give ourselves permission to do just that. Let’s kick up our feet, snuggle under a blanket, or wrap our hands around a steaming mug of hot tea.
We are worth more than our work.
We are designed to rest.
Reference: Pang, A. S. (2017). How resting more can boost your productivity. Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_resting_more_can_boost_your_productivity.
Challenges/Points:
We live in a society built on the back of consumption that urges us to never slow down. Electricity lets us work long into the dark hours of night, while 24/7 access to the internet and email tempts us to keep plugging away even if we are tired. But nature, and the way we were designed, sings another tune.
The path to our best self is actually through rest. Studies show that we perform better in virtually every area when we are well rested.
Rest doesn’t always mean sitting still or doing nothing. Rest can be playing board games with a family member, going for a walk, watching a movie, reading a book, or taking a nap with your dog.
Questions:
Is rest a regular part of your schedule or your weekly rhythm?
What shapes does rest take in your life right now?
Do you feel that you get enough rest or do you need more?
To talk more about this or something else on your mind text the number 494949 to chat with our team or visit RemedyLIVE.com/chat anytime, day or night.
Did someone send you this post, and you want to subscribe to our free self care guide? Text CARE to 494949 to receive daily posts.
