Don't Fool Yourself
We live in a society today that has convinced itself that we can work and work and work with little or no rest, day after day, year after year for most of our adult lives. Unfortunately, living such an unbalanced lifestyle takes a tremendous toll on body, mind and soul because they are not given sufficient time to recharge each and every day.
The restorative power of rest is vital to every facet of our lives and yet we try and fool ourselves by compensating for our lack of adequate rest and sleep by using stimulants like coffee and energy drinks to temporarily increase our mental focus and energy. These may allow you to scrape through the day but eventually the body and mind are going to break down under the strain caused by inadequate rest.
Benefits of Rest
If you truly want to restore a healthy balance to body, mind and soul in today's hectic, results-oriented society, then you must accept the fact that you need to set aside time for resting. While this seems like such a simple solution, the restorative power of rest has been proven to have far reaching effects and benefits:
* Improved health - Rest is just as essential to our bodies as water and air. Remember, we only have one body in this life, so it makes sense to take care of it as best we can.
* Decreased stress - Rest allows our bodies and minds to combat the physical and mental damage caused by having too much stress in our lives.
* Stronger relationships - There is more to life than work and stress. Taking the time to rest allows us to strengthen our relationships with friends and loved ones.
* Time for reflection- In today's hectic world it's difficult to find the time to step back and reflect on whether or not we are living our lives the way we truly want to. Resting gives you this important opportunity.
* Restoration of balance - Our lives should not be defined by what we do, but rather who we are. Setting aside time for rest allows your true identity to assert itself, away from the demands and constraints of your occupation.
* Improved productivity - When you allow your body, mind and soul to rest and recover, you will be far more productive than when you are attempting to work on fumes.
* Energy reserves - When crisis hits, you will need vast amounts of physical, mental and spiritual energy. By living a lifestyle that incorporates plenty of rest, you will be ready to face all of life's emergencies.
Restore Your Body, Mind and Soul
If you want to restore a healthy balance to your body, mind and soul then you must first learn to take responsibility for your own wellbeing, consciously set aside time for resting and learn to say no, so that other tasks are never allowed to infringe on your resting time. You must also learn to find contentment with your current life, and enjoy the things you do have, rather than focusing on those you don't.
You should also simplify your life and focus on enjoying values rather than possessions that can consume your free time. It's also important to include your friends and family in your new lifestyle because you will motivate each other to stick to the discipline of concentrated rest. You should also make a conscious effort to live within your means, because debt is one of the biggest sources of stress in life.
Finally, you must completely embrace the idea of rest, and that living a lifestyle centered on the practice of concentrated rest does not make you weak, as today's results oriented society might suggest, but rather it allows you to live a longer, fuller, more meaningful life than those who never take the time to step away from their hectic, stressful lives.
