Letting Rest Captivate your Attention
Growing up, I cherished the lazy days. Remember those? There was literally nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No one to hang out with. No responsibilities. Just time alone. You, the couch, the television, and perhaps a favorite snack.
But it seems the older I get, the more distant that ideal state of self becomes. Honestly, it's really not that I don't have the time. It's guilt. I know I should rest. I'm tired--exhausted, in fact. But relaxing means being lazy, and I was taught that laziness is no way to go about life. So I end up sabotaging my moment of rest before I ever really get the chance to experience the rest I so desperately need.
For you, maybe it's not guilt that robs you of rest, but the demands of your day or the demands of others around you. Perhaps your rest is denied by a to-do list a mile long or a mind that never stops.
Sometimes not working becomes the actual work. Sometimes resting is not as easy as it once was. But does that mean we give up? Not even a little. It means we remove the stigma of stopping, and we retrain our brains to remember the sheer joy of doing nothing. I know what you're thinking: "That's a lot easier said than done." Maybe that's true, but what prevents us from simply enjoying and appreciating doing nothing is that we allow our tasks to captivate our attention more than rest.
Think about it. Do you remember the last time you just sat by the window watching the snowfall? Have you ever been lost in the moment watching your kids play or a baby sleeping? If you have, then you have proven to yourself that it's possible--even if just for a moment. Resting is only work when we allow ourselves to be captivated by being busy over just being.
Resting is not always finding the time to binge-watch Netflix with a pint of ice cream and a bag of Cheetos. That's neither productive nor healthy. If you struggle to allow yourself to rest, start by allowing yourself to be captivated by something else--something that makes you stop--even if just for a few minutes.
Be so captivated by the leaves changing color that you can see the different red, orange, and yellow shades. Be so fascinated by the snow that you notice how each flake is created perfectly unique. Doing nothing can look much different than you might have expected. Sit with a cup of coffee and stare out the window, take a walk, or even a drive. But take the time in your rest to do more than just nothing. Notice things you have never noticed before. Take time to be captivated by something so much greater than the constant hurry and endless lists that consume the everyday.
Challenges/Points:
For some of us, resting can be the most challenging thing we have to do.
Rest can be more than doing nothing; it is allowing yourself to be captivated by something else.
Take time today to notice or be captivated by something other than your to-do list.
Questions:
What are some of the things that prevent you from your essential moments of rest?
What's one thing that would make you stop and notice it? Art, nature, music?
How can you make sure to rest today by letting something else captivate your attention?
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