The Importance of Rest

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Sometimes, we all just need to chill for a li'l bit.




In today's society (hey look, it's the magic word-), everything is about productivity. Economic efficiency is typically measured by how much output can be generated from any given inputs. Leaders in various fields; from athletics to business, are often characterized by their consistent activity. They wake up before everyone else to hammer away at their craft. It's good to be busy. Work is one of the things that brings the most meaning to our lives. But the grindset mindset isn't always beneficial. People are like computers. If you overwork them, they crash.

Lots of us often tend to underestimate the value that rest has in our lives. Take sleep for example. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (hey look Professor, I referenced academic literature) recommends 7 hours of sleep for the average adult. Let's round that up to 8 to make the ensuing math easier (and who's gonna argue with an extra hour of sleep?). That's 1/3rd of a 24-hour day. In an ideal world, we should be spending a third of our lives asleep. 

Yes, getting 7-8 hours of sleep may not be possible for everyone, all the time. There are some days when you just gotta get up before the Sun. But when you can, si ulale tu? [Swahili- "why don't you just sleep?"]. As the saying goes, 'Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man (and woman too) healthy and wealthy and wise." People focus a lot on the 'rise' part and not on the 'bed' part. If we wanna work better, we need to sleep well.

Even when we aren't in dreamland, sometimes, we need to kick it. After all, all work and no play made Jack a dull boy. Poor Jack. He was probably struggling with end of semester exams or something. 

One thing my parents taught me is that rest isn't simply 'doing nothing,' it's meant to be a change of activity, to one which is less strenuous than our usual work. Playing a game, listening to music, watching a good movie, painting a picture...there are so many relaxing activities out there to enjoy. Even God took a day off after creating the Universe. Not that He was tired (He's got infinite stamina). I'd say He did it to show the significance of rest. Many religious groups have a day dedicated to rest, like Shabbat for Jews or Sundays for Christians. Our society (two times, wow, I should start a counter) has 2 days dedicated to taking time off (rumour has it some people wanna push it to 3). It's a week-end, not just because another 5 days have passed, but because there's an end to the week, there's a purpose to our lives that extends beyond our daily work. There's a certain...beauty to good rest. 

So carpe diem, then look back on it...and relaaaax.

Sources:

Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult. (2015, AASM and SRS).


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