In the previous post I’ve sharing my experience with intense work and how hard it might be to stop. Actually there is one more mechanism that may prevent us from taking a proper rest. Most of us have had an experience previously and learned from it. And some of use - should notice the patterns.
The pattern I am about to write today is related to the fact exhaustive effort leads to discomfort or even pain. Any human and many other beings on this planet are avoiding pain at all cost as a part of natural program or “goal”.
When you have learned hard work leads to a pain - how high is the chance we will make attempts to avoid it, prolonging the “rest” period, procrastinating until we got hit with a feeling of being late.
If we can’t stop at the right moment
First of all - it is better to avoid pain in the moment when it starts. Just like I’ve written in my previous article. Learning the limits and understanding the feelings is the key here. However, what if we have passed that moment?
Like any other muscle it can work through the pain. The level of exhaustion depends on the time we still keep using the same muscle. The earlier we stop - the better. Stop, enjoy, have some rest. Chill. But don’t get lazy.
How to not get lazy
That’s a deep topic, but for the needs of the current article it’s quite simple. After intense period we need to rest period, and it is crucial what is understood by “takin a rest”.
I personally think the most full process of rest is sleep. If we are not sleepy, if our body and mind does not demand more of this specific state - means these are quite operable.
If we don’t need deep form of rest - means we need to switch activities. If we had physical activity - we shall reduce physical activity and increase brain activity. Or vice-versa. If that period was demanding for both: the mind and the body? Doing like physical activities outside is most probably the most universal way to do it. As usual - starting with walking or choose whatever fits you.
I’d stay in a bad for a couple more ours, instead
This is a big trap. Being ill is obviously a reason to do so, however, this activity (or lack of activity) may unexpectedly take more time than we want. How exactly? Well, there are many form of “rotting”. Social medias, videos, “learning”. The amount of consumable is growing every hour.
Even we want to stay in a bed longer - we should keep our attention away from being captured. Book or movie is ok, because these ends and we loose that source of enjoyment and that way we are forced to switch.
Social media content, multi-player online games and similar activities are hard for us in long term because these are endless activities. These literally never ends. If we can control it by our daily system, the regime, as soon as we hit “rest” mode - we loose that control.
Keeping the control
For me it works this way: distinguish rest vs recovery. I used to consider taking enough of recovery time, by not limiting in advance. And I am limiting my rest time. Here is how it differs.
Recovery is recovery mode. Less or no goals. Maintaining of the limited amount of mostly started projects and activities. Avoiding committing to new plans, starting new phases of the project - in simple words no taking more then I have now. And most probably reducing the amount of total effort.
Rest on the other hand, are specific activities. Playing a aideo game, reading a book, watching a movie, going for a walk. These are “resting” activities. Activities that switches my focus aways from the topic I’ve put an effort to previously. A distraction. While this let’s mind and body to switch - it occupies it, and at this point I already know that’s not the best form of doing it.
In ideal life our “distraction” is helping us moving forward in a different area of our life. I was thinking about it this way. In practice - I was putting myself into the exhaustion, while thinking that’s been a rest. It can’t work that way, if there is another achievement to get.
How to rest for restoration
Turns our there are 3 principles to rest:
- enjoy the moment
- no competition
- no responsibilities for another person
In this case books, video games and walking - may be a rest activities. If we avoid competition.
Walking, traveling and other activities - can be restful if we don’t take responsibility with us. For me it means sometimes I’m doing that alone.
Enjoy... yeah, if someone said you walking 10.000 steps a day is the best rest and you hate it - don’t do that. Cycle, jump, skate, swim. As much or as less as you want.
Power of silence
There is another approach I have learned last year, that sounds super simple but made me reconsider so many of my decisions. True rest happens when we do not interact with other people. In any form. Music, books, games, videos - any sort of content is a form of interaction in this context.
This is why I am cycling to the nearby’s river to site there in a silence. Watch. Hear. Feel. Me being there for me. And witnessing the reality that happens with or without me.
And that “without me” part... I am not sure anymore. Quantum physics is becoming a thing. I am not a physician at any point, but the main idea is fascinating me. The world around out depends on our attention. It behaves differently depending on our presence or absence.
Is that the way we create our layers of the reality?