People spend most of their day engaged in activities that drain them physically and mentally. Over time, this can lead to burnout where the person starts feeling tired all the time and may get depressed. Your body and mind need rest at appropriate intervals or you will end up inviting numerous kinds of trouble.
3 types of rest
1. Passive rest
Many professional people are unable to find some quiet time for themselves. This is where passive rest becomes important. You basically sit silent, contemplating your life. Although this sounds simple, passive rest has numerous benefits. A study by the University of Southern California found that “reflective moments, devoid of external stimulation, allow your brain to access a so-called default mode of neural processing, which is critical for helping you develop a greater sense of self-awareness, recall personal memories, make moral judgments, and give your life meaningful context,” according to Spartan.
2. Creative rest
For people engaged in creative work, meeting assignment deadlines can make life stressful. Unfortunately, a stressful life will end up harming your artistic tendencies and career prospects. For a creative person, meditation is an excellent way to unwind some of the knots in the mind and tap from their deep inherent creative energies.
“I started Transcendental Meditation in 1973 and have not missed a single meditation ever since. Twice a day, every day. It has given me effortless access to unlimited reserves of energy, creativity and happiness deep within. This level of life is sometimes called ‘pure consciousness’ — it is a treasury. And this level of life is deep within us all,” Hollywood director David Lynch says in a statement (David Lynch Foundation).
Another way to get some rest, as well as creative stimulation, is by walking. Steve Jobs is famous for his walking meetings. You might think lying down on your bed doing nothing is the best way to take a break. But a study by researchers from Stanford University advises the opposite — walk rather than sit. You don’t even have to walk outside. A simple treadmill schedule will be good enough. As long as you keep your feet moving, you should feel ideas flow into your mind.
The study found that “walking indoors or outdoors similarly boosted creative inspiration. The act of walking itself, and not the environment, was the main factor. Across the board, creativity levels were consistently and significantly higher for those walking compared to those sitting,” according to Stanford News.
3. Sensory rest
In the modern world, people are so drowned in technology that they are too addicted and acclimatized with digital stimulation. Most of the time, people have their eyes glued to the computer at work, smartphones for social media, and the TV for watching Netflix. This has caused a sensory overload in many people, causing them to find real-life human interactions more and more disinteresting. Such people might also end up becoming unable to normally bond with others.
This has been a major cause of several broken relationships, including divorces. Staring at a monitor becomes easier than taking your spouse out for dinner. To get out of this mess, you need to take a sensory rest. Keep your smartphone aside for a day. Visit your friends and have a face-to-face chat. Spend some time with your parents. You can also go for a mountain hike. Such activities should keep your emotional state balanced and in touch with the real world.
