Make Time and Do It Right
As I write this, I am six days into a nine-day vacation in paradise, and I am still exhausted. Between work, business, extended family obligations, and a global pandemic, I have run myself way too ragged. By now, I thought I would be rested, happy, energetic, and just excited about every moment. I’m not. I’m still tired.
My job is the type I can’t leave at the worksite. It comes home with me. I think about my students and colleagues and how to make things better. I’m currently stuck in a holding pattern while management decides some stuff and that is one of the worst stressors for me. I do not wait well, especially when it doesn’t look like any outcome will be good. I’m just waiting for which bad news I’ll have to deal with.
Over the last few days, I have done a lot of thinking about how I rest at home. By rest, I don’t mean sleep (though that’s important too). I am referring to how we recharge our batteries, feel connected to the world, and generally get excited about life. I don’t have kids, yet I don’t really rest either. I have down time, don’t get me wrong, but I use it terribly. I avoid the cleaning I know I need to do by watching Netflix or scrolling Facebook. That isn’t rest. It actually takes a lot of energy to perpetually avoid our obligations. It takes a lot of energy to stop seeing that pile of stuff that I said I’d take care of this week, or that fix-it project that’s been sitting for a year now. I’ve lost more energy avoiding it than doing it would have taken.
To be absolutely clear, I am not saying a good show or checking in with friends and family on Facebook can’t be considered rest. When used appropriately, they can be very restful. But binge watching a series mindlessly and feeling guilty afterward, is the opposite of restful. So go ahead and plan some frivolous fun, but keep it where it belongs.
Rest is absolutely necessary, not a luxury. I know this, yet I’ve allowed the past few years to pull me away from it. Rest allows our muscles to recuperate and get stronger. Rest allows our brains to think deeper thoughts, start new tasks, and make fewer mistakes. Rest helps us to be kinder and to forgive. Rest is at the core of a great life. In this modern age though, we seem to have swapped rest for distractions. With ADHD, this is doubly so. We crave stimulation, entertainment, but what we really need in order to focus on our lives, is forced rest. When the brain has nothing to entertain it, it can turn to deeper thoughts. Conscious reflection is how we grow, how we achieve greatness, and how we stop making the same mistakes over and over again.
When I get home, I plan to set up actual rest time, not mindless avoidance time. I think it’s time to try camping again. I know that might not be your thing, but we all need something that takes us away from our daily struggles and stress and let’s us clear away the day so we can think about our lives, or nothing, or anything. As a kid, I remember feeling refreshed after camping. I deserve to feel that way again. So do you.
What do you do for rest? Do you have a wooded park you can get away to, even for just a few hours a week? Is there a favorite coffee shop where you can people watch or get lost in your thoughts? Are you blessed and have a space in your home that is dedicated to anything but work or obligations?
We deserve to not be tired all the time. Yes, the pandemic has added stress that hopefully will eventually go away, but what about our day-to-day stressors? We deserve a break from those too.
So dear readers, what do you do, or what do you plan to add in so that you can get the rest you need, deserve, and will allow you to do the great things you are capable of?
