ALLOW YOURSELF TO REST

THIS RAINY WEEKEND WAS A BLESSING TO ME. For someone who cannot and will not slow down, I was forced to take a break. My mind was all “go, you can do it, you can squeeze a million and one things to do today”, but my body was like, “nah” before completely shutting down. And it’s a big turning point for me because it wasn’t the weather, I had a flu shot a couple of months back – it was me. I maxed out my body, and if there’s one thing I’ve always known about my particular body is that it needs sleep. All-nighters? Not for me. And on the off chance that it is absolutely necessary, I make sure I have enough sleep before and/or after. It wasn’t just a one-time, big-time moment though, it was the sum of all those instances I traded bits of sleep for other things – going out (love living in Poblacion!!!), a book, catching up with friends online, waking up early for an appointment, work, etc. And it caught up like it always eventually did.

There’s a difference when you choose to rest on your own terms and when your body forces you to do so. With the latter, it doesn’t care if you have something you’re looking forward to planned that day – it needs to recharge RIGHT NOW. There’s no running on reserves because you’ve already used those up. And the best you can do at this point is, well, nothing. You pretty much can’t do anything else because every bit of your will and your energy has dried up. And if you still stubbornly insist you still have it in you to brave the world, you can end up spreading your virus and worse, put yourself at risk to even more harm – What if you suddenly faint WHILE driving?! What if that common cough turns into a respiratory infection?! You need only to look at those cancelled tours where those poor pop stars ended up going to the hospital for fatigue.

You need to rest. Rest is not a luxury as we go-getters tell ourselves, it’s a necessity. Your body restores itself when you sleep. I remember Dr. Cuenca discussing in Physiological Psychology how when you sleep, the part of the brain responsible for whatever part you used that day is active because it repairs itself (or something like it, hehe). Sleep helps you heal. But it’s not just sleep that you need, you also need to rest your mind. You need to relax and normalize your cortisol levels (which shoots up when you’re stressed and anxious, and prolonged excess of which is linked to diabetes and other diseases). You also have to destress and naturally increase your brain’s happy chemical levels. Whether it’s by listening to music, communing with nature, watching a funny movie, getting a massage – it makes you feel good and it’s good for you.

If you think rest is for the weak, I beg to differ. Rest is strategic. Rest now to ensure you can do things that matter later on. Had I rested, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have missed the recollection I was looking forward to. The same way I’m pretty sure that had I not took an extra day in Brussels and burnt a day off my precious Eurotrip’s carefully planned and maxed out itinerary by sleeping and getting better, I wouldn’t have enjoyed Rock Werchter (imagine the horror of trying to recuperate inside a tent and knowing you’re missing your favorite acts) – and maybe even the rest of my trip if my cold got from bad to worse! A quote posted by our ex-staff suits this best – “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” – because believe me, you will be forced to give up when your body quits you. And if you’re psychologically sick and tired of doing something, going on breaks allows you to hit the refresh button and go back at it with a better attitude than fuck this shit (unless it’s really time to let go as it does not make you grow and become a better person – but that’s for another post).

So this weekend, I wish you grabbed the opportunity to rest and relax. You need it. It will boost you for the week ahead. And if you didn’t, I hope you take little steps through out the week (or even later this Sunday night!) by allotting time for sleep and allowing yourself little pockets of happiness doing the things you love. It might be as simple as lighting those scented candles, singing at the top of your lungs inside your car, preparing a meal – whatever it is, bask in it, it’s YOUR happiness. I know that’s what I’m going to do. 🙂

PS- Don’t forget to take advantage of the extra long weekend up ahead too!

xx