21 Days of Rest

When the world went into lockdown, the possibility of leisure time sent productivity specialists into overdrive. “Learn how to bake!”, “read a book” or even better, “learn a new skill while you’re at home” filled many timelines on social media. Once word got out that people would be home and some, not be working, the “sleep when you’re dead” train arrived at the station.

It’s crazy how hard wired we are as a society, to work. We have tied our self-worth and sense of importance to our output so much that resting has become synonymous with wasting time. ‘If I can be doing something right now, I should’ was my mantra. Infact, it was only when I started investing in my holistic wellness that I started taking resting seriously.

What we call “doing nothing” is actually an essential part of our lives. Allowing our minds to rest helps create a balanced, peaceful and more content lifestyle. In the “doing nothing” state, we allow our brains to superpower themselves. In other words, in the resting state, our neural-networks can process experiences, consolidate memories and reinforce learning. Stillness is not a luxury, it’s psychologically imperative.

Consistently working is cultural, not natural. And it’s also extremely detrimental to our health. According to a study conducted by Tony Shwartz, not getting enough sleep is the number one predictor of on the job burnout. Shwartz also goes on to explain how many leaders encourage this culture of not resting:

The vast majority of leaders I meet don’t get enough sleep to be fully rested. Worse than that, many consider their ability to get by on not much sleep a competitive advantage and a measure of their toughness. Remember how Bon Jovi put it? “Gonna live while I’m alive, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Here’s my version: “Gonna thrive while I’m alive, I’ll sleep so I’m ahead.”

Schwartz continues to say “Too many of us continue to live by the durable myth that one less hour of sleep gives us one more hour of productivity. In reality, each hour less of sleep not only leaves us feeling more fatigued, but also takes a pernicious toll on our cognitive capacity. The more consecutive hours we are awake and the fewer we sleep at night, the less alert, focused and efficient we become, and the lower the quality of our work.”

The average person needs at least 7 - 9 hours of sleep every night to function at optimal levels. Some people, however very few, are short sleepers and need between 5 - 6 hours of sleep. This means the ridiculous notion of being able to function and “win” with 3 hours of sleep is both bogus and factually incorrect.

So what should you do in this time if you’re not working? Should you just sleep all day? Or are there other ways to rest during the day? There are definitely other avenues to rest. Here is a list:

We should strive to put less emphasis on the output of our actions and more on how they make us feel. Just because you cannot put a monetary value on meditating doesn’t mean it's worthless. Our hustle culture is rooted in capitalism and capitalism is the reason we have such a screwed impression of value.

Don’t be pressured into being “productive” during this lockdown. Give yourself time to whine down and rebuild, to rest and renew, to just be with yourself and may that be enough.

If you would like to read more of my self-care tips, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @PhemiSegoe. Stay safe and stay home.