How do you feel when you are well rested in mind and body? This may be an easy one to recall if you have just taken a long summer break! How can you tell you are rested? What differences can you feel in your mind and body? How long does that feeling last? Do you feel fantastic on the first few days back in your usual routine but a week later it's like the holiday never happened?
Well, there are a few things going on here. We will do a later series on finding your working passion (life is generally more restful and relaxed if you have a job you don't feel you need to escape from) but for now let's look at how you can sustain those feelings of rest, relaxation and peace that feel so delicious at the end of a holiday.
We will look at different sorts of rest, specifically today passive rest versus active rest. I believe we need to be aware of both of these practices and find our own unique balance, which is a perfect ratio of what we need to replenish ourselves.
Rest is highly individual. One person's idea of relaxation is another's hell, so you need to find your own recipe. You might find you need 20 per cent passive rest and 80 per cent active rest, or vice-versa. By getting really conscious, you can build active and passive rest practices into your life that support your best health and happiness.
Passive rest is, basically, chilling out. More than that, it's giving yourself permission to consciously choose and ring-fence some time for you to do that without guilt. Passive rest is when we are temporarily stepping back from giving out to others, just for a short period of time. It's not (repeat, not) selfish, it's about putting a bit of fuel back in the tank so you can get into the next challenge with good energy and good grace. It's about temporarily disconnecting from the external frenzy of doing and putting out energy to take a moment to listen to the whispers of your soul, not the shouts and demands of your everyday life. It's about having replenishing activity that you can enjoy guilt-free because it's an essential part of keeping you balanced and able to perform at your best and give of your best to those around you.
