Defining Rest

Written by a human, for humans, always.

I have had a great day of rest today.

But depending on who you ask...

What I've done in rest may not seem...

"Restful".

What is included in that?

Well, there is, of course, this article that I am writing...

Number 1,337 on the 1,337th day of writing daily articles.

In a bit, I will do a 1-mile jog and a bit of other light exercise.

I also completed a quiz and two tests, one to renew my CPR credentials.

Now, to many people, these may not appear to be "restful"...

But this is the strange thing about how most people look at rest...

Because they can be.

With this...

Some of the things that are generally considered "restful"...

Could actually become problematic.

This can include things like sleep, lounging, and eating.

How is that so?

Well, to understand rest, we need to define what rest really is.

Rest is the activity that allows the body to recover.

Therein lies what most people fail to understand...

What is creating true recovery.

For instance...

Many people may sleep and lounge, and it "can" be restful...

My sleep last night was very restful!

But...

It can also lead to boredom and a lack of connection with others...

Both of which can be harmful - mentally, emotionally, and over time, even physically.

Engage too much in these...

And it stops being rest.

Eating food "can" also be a restful activity...

But it depends on what the food is that you are eating...

Which is a bit more complicated than "healthy" or "unhealthy" when you add in factors such as emotions, which can sometimes be aided by eating certain foods.

I am not a firm believer that you can "never" enjoy in different types of food that are considered unhealthy...

Yet...

For most people...

The food they eat is vastly more harmful than beneficial...

Even amidst the foods they eat that are labeled as "healthy".

When we begin to understand that rest involves actions that lead to true recovery...

We can begin to understand how things like writing daily articles, running, or taking tests can be restful.

When I write articles...

It is an act of challenging my ability to think in a way that engages me...

But does not push me to the brink of my abilities.

It helps me think about the many ideas running through my head...

Reducing the mental chatter that exists and the stresses that come with it.

It helps me process emotions that I am feeling...

So that I can understand them and move into whatever comes next in life.

When I run and jog...

Our bodies, as humans, need to move.

Lacking movement is itself very harmful...

And by engaging my body, it is getting the use that it needs to recover properly.

Perhaps the strangest are the tests...

But for me...

Which may not be true for everyone...

They are fun.

It allows me to see how I have grown, and make sure that I know what I am supposed to...

And as long as I have done all the studying and research necessary, then the tests really are not difficult.

Plus...

When tests are undone, they are stressful to me...

Meaning the longer they remain undone...

The more stressful they become.

So...

Getting them done relieves any stress.

There is something important to understand in this last bit of information...

What is restful for one person may not be restful for another.

Sometimes, different activities affect us differently...

Such as my enjoying taking tests while others are horribly frightened of them...

Or how some people enjoy cleaning while I find it extremely stressful.

Other times, it is the context of when or how you do different activities...

Such as how much sleep you get.

If you have not been getting enough sleep...

You may need to get a bit more than normal, making 10 to 12 hours of sleep restful.

If you have been sleeping 10 to 12 hours every night...

There may be a bigger problem that you need to strongly look into.

Context matters when it comes to rest.

What is important to understand...

Is that each of us needs to define what rest is for ourselves...

Discover what actually helps us to recover in truth...

So that we can live a more full life.

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