In my teenage years, I remember clearly going to a friend’s house and finding her Dad in his favorite chair, resting his eyes in front of the television. I remember thinking, why is he always napping whenever we’re over? Little did I know then that his napping wisdom was far superior to mine. 

Sure, when we’re tired, we might rest, but for many of us, that zeal to be productive usurps our consciousness and a voice of should screams, “there’s something else we should be doing,” so the rest often falls by the wayside. Bob was right. 

Today, there’s research beyond research touting the benefits of rest, the absolute necessity of those moments, and the positive consequences towards longevity and wellness.

As a young traveler, I relished those busy days. Whether on my own, as a couple, with friends, or on a tour, I loved the ones that were filled from sun up to sun down, thinking how good it was to ‘pack’ the day ‘full’. Today, while I still enjoy those multiple thousand step days that take us to all sorts of places doing all the things, I also find myself building in those rest moments, hours, and days to accommodate both the do the things and take the rest type of attitudes. 

What do you do?

I grew up in New York, that place where the fast walk is the default, the ‘I’m walking here’ identity is strong, and where ‘the city’ is that one that never sleeps. I’ve been a fast talker, get stuff done immediately personality for as long as I can remember, until I learned that there was another way. Another way that, while uncomfortable at first (I’m still a work in progress when it comes to that productivity guilt), has health benefits beyond what I ever imagined. 

Forever I thought ‘slowing down’ fell into the same category as salt: in the world of black and white and all or nothing thinking traps, it was straight up bad. Man, was I wrong. Most of life is in those gray areas, and as there’s a certain level of salt we all need for both physical and mental health, the same goes for that rest, downshifting, and slowing down. 

For decades, society has fostered this go, go, go attitude of busy equals good. 

People got gold stars for staying late at the office, taking on more roles, biting off more than they can chew, and living in a state of exhaustion. 

Mindfulness and rest fell on the outskirts in the land of extremes or worse, seen as being lazy or not doing ‘enough’. 

Thankfully, today, we’re beginning to see a shift in those mindsets. The benefits of rest are wiggling their way further into the mainstream and even trickling into curriculums and major institutions. Schools have started to include yoga into physical education options, hospitals have green spaces, and offices even have relaxation rooms equipped with hammocks, yoga mats, and meditation cushions. ‘Done is better than perfect’ has entered into the narrative. 

Slowly, there are shifts showcasing rest as a priority, vital health component, and in a positive light. 

Gen Alphas are living with a different perspective than many Gen Xers, Millennials, and Boomers. Along with a multitude of other varied positions on heaps of issues and policies, more and more young people refuse to accept the push for constant productivity at the expense of mental, physical, and emotional health. 

There’s a rejection of work as the only paramount and a move towards some semblance of a balance between working hard and all the other components that make up a life of purpose, meaning, and thriving. While many have yet to intertwine the Scandinavian philosophy of lagom, which seeks to nurture a work-life balance, encouraging rest, more conscious living, and time for exercise, we are seeing more of a leaning in that direction. 

Where do you fit? 

Does the idea of resting or relaxing make you twitch? Do you endeavor to infuse rest, recovery, and recuperation into a daily or weekly schedule? 

Can you handle those moments of quiet when alone with your thoughts or does even the suggestion of taking moments to quite literally do nothing send your anxiety through the roof? 

Regardless of where you lie, what do you project on the young humans in your life? Is the notion of rest something you’d love to see seep further into education, policies, and life philosophies or do you fall into the camp of I’ll get whatever sleep I can get and that’s all the downtime I’ll take? 

How would your world shift if we normalized rest? 

Perhaps we’re getting closer to the day when incorporating rest into our calendars is seen more as a positive than not. Perhaps we’re moving closer to the time when we collectively recognize the wellness benefits of slowing down, and place it further into the category of a life well lived. 

And, perhaps we’re stepping into the light of a balance and longevity focus understanding that when the whole person benefits, society as a whole does, too. 

Wherever you fall in the rest conversation, are you ready to step in a direction of entertaining the idea? 

When we take moments to slow down, connect with our intentions, reset and re-fuel ourselves with rest, imagine how much more energy, curiosity, and yes, even productivity we’d have. Take rest, friends, far more than your parasympathetic nervous system will thank you.

4 Tips to Give Ourselves Permission to Rest

Napping is good for the soul

“It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol” - Brene Brown

Years ago, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic journalist, coined the phrase Blue Zones, showing the world particular regions where we find the most centenarians. These humans tend to live long, healthy lives incorporating community, spiritual focus, healthy diet, meaning and purpose, and, of course, sleep into their lifestyle. 

Like Spain’s siesta, napping is a focus in the Blue Zones, specifically found most in the Italian and Greek areas of both Sardinia and Ikaria. While lives beyond the Blue Zones might not be able to incorporate naps daily, infusing them as often as possible has positive wellness benefits. Naps lower the stress hormone (cortisol) and allow the heart to rest, suggesting they just might contribute to a lower risk of dying from heart disease. (well good)

“According to the Mayo Clinic, napping during the day doesn't affect your nighttime sleep quality and improves alertness. Experts recommend a 10- to 20-minute nap before 3 p.m. to beat fatigue and improve your mood. It's even been shown to improve your memory.” (C-net) As a powerful force for good, perhaps we can reframe our thoughts on short napping into a positive light. Twenty minutes, early afternoons, purposeful time to slow down – maybe what’s most significant is the positive way in which it’s seen, the bountiful benefits towards longevity it projects, and how it’s woven into the fabric of community. 

Want to give it a try?

Rest is more productive than we think

“Rest and play are as vital to our health as nutrition and exercise” - Brene Brown

Have you ever witnessed a toddler throw a tantrum due to missing their afternoon nap, or seen a seven year old have a meltdown when staying up too late? Years later, that young one grows to be young at heart and often continues to push themselves past that much needed bedtime. 

We know that rest and relaxation play a crucial role in wellness. We’ve seen the negative effects of chronic stress and the positive results from taking it easy. Rest may boost your health, quality of life, and longevity. "Getting better at resting and relaxing, then, isn’t frivolous; it could actually be lifesaving." (Time)

Scientifically speaking, “relaxation” just means activating your parasympathetic nervous system—the one that handles bodily processes you don’t think about, like breathing and digestion—instead of your sympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of your stress response, says Christina Luberto, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School who has studied relaxation. “You can elicit that physiological state in any activity that involves a single, pointed focus while setting aside intrusive or unrelated distractions,” Luberto explains. (Time)

There’s more than mindfulness and moments of introspection at play here. 

Perhaps delving into a good book, caring for those plant babies, fully washing the dishes while you’re washing the dishes, or feeding your tummies while feeding your soul is for you. 

These types of intentional rest and mindful movement might remove that pressure to shut out the noise or quiet the mind, that tends to make some of us go bananas, while still incorporating the goodness of the actual restful process. Perhaps it means adding creative pursuits to your day. Maybe it’s taking your afternoon break outside beneath a canopy of nature. Maybe it’s taking a meditative walk after work or school to allow the world around you to fade into the background. Maybe it’s sitting down with a journal, watercolors, or a pottery wheel. 

Whatever you choose, it’s the reframe and the meaning that matter. 

Just breathe

“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something” - Winnie the Pooh

The Disney movie, Christopher Robin, is one of my favorites. When it’s on, I can literally feel my heartbeat slow and a smile spread on my face. Without offering a spoiler, the protagonist goes through multitudes before getting to a space of realization, perspective, and new mindset, and it's one of the world’s most beloved bears that provides the lesson, reminding us all that sometimes, ‘doing nothing often leads to the very best of something’. While diving into the world of the Hundred Acre Woods (or whatever your version of that) isn’t always possible, resting snacks are. 

Maybe it’s not about five days on an idyllic beach, but five minutes of breathing practice in between classes or meetings. Maybe you can sit on your daily train ride and visualize that peaceful place; you just might be able to feel your soul open and heart rate slow.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes new things feel hard and produce anxiety. 

Perhaps, like that rest reframe, it’s about realizing that maybe it feels uncomfortable because it’s new, not because you’re bad at it. New takes time. Like learning a new gymnastics skill, perfecting that recipe, or trying your hand at coding, there’s a learning period that often takes longer than we think. You’re not doing it wrong, you’re not terrible at it – you’re a beginner and beginning takes time. 

When Simone Biles falls off the beam, she gets back on it. Sometimes she bounds back up, sometimes she needs a spotter on the mat, and sometimes she needs a bit longer before stepping back into the fray - either way, she shows up. Some of my most favorite yoga teachers remind their classes that yoga is a practice. One of the most significant things you can do is keep showing up. Perhaps the same can be said about that rest, especially if it’s new to you. Whether you sit in discomfort or relish the moments, the most significant thing you can do is keep showing up. 

Will you? 

Foster inspiration and imagination

“When the mind is allowed to relax, inspiration often follows” - Phil Jackson

We’ve all had those crazy moments in our days or even longer periods of time. They’re the ones filled with angst, a million things on our to-do lists, and the sometimes even trauma infused or survival needs that fill our heads allowing nothing else in. 

Maybe it’s the five tests you have to study for tomorrow and can’t see past them. 

Maybe it’s dealing with harrowing results of natural disasters that take all of your efforts and zap your spirit. 

It’s anxiety of things you can’t control and sometimes ones you can, yet it’s all tangled up inside. When those things arise, there’s nearly no room for anything else and sometimes we don’t even realize that the scary, upending period has ebbed slightly until we notice that we’re making room or time for other things that might even bring us joy. 

“When you take time to rest and relax, you are naturally more creative. Time off helps you refill your reserves. The quiet moments inspire reflection time, allowing you to break through creative barriers.” (Forbes) If you’ve seen the Snickers commercials of hangry adults who quite literally can’t function in the moment, imagine your brain trying to do difficult statistical computations when exhausted. 

Rest allows the refueling to take place, curiosity to return, new ideas to flourish, and reaffirms your ability to solve those bigger, compelling issues.  

So take that purposeful rest. Schedule those unplugging times. Insert rest time on your calendar of important meetings. Pop notes of gratitude in your planner, close the door and take two minutes of deep breaths, find some stretching practice that improves both blood flow and mood, ditch the screens sooner than usual, and make sleep a priority. 

The rest will reinvigorate your brain and invite time and accessibility for those creative moments. Who knows, you may encourage your imagination to bring your inner ingenuity to light. 

Please click the photo below for a collection of my Through the Eyes of an Educator columns:

Stacey Ebert, our Educational Travels Editor, is a traveler at heart who met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand. Stacey was an extracurricular advisor and taught history in a Long Island public high school for over fifteen years, enjoying both the formal and informal educational practices. After a one year 'round the world honeymoon, travel and its many gifts changed her perspective. She has since left the educational world to focus on writing and travel. She is energetic and enthusiastic about long term travel, finding what makes you happy and making the leap. In her spare time she is an event planner, yogi, dark chocolate lover, and spends as much time as possible with her toes in the sand.

Check out her website at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com for more of her travel musings.