From thinking beyond the obvious, to trying mini ‘sabbaticals’, here are five suggestions about how to really slow down
Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, a physician and author, believes there are seven types of rest: physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative and spiritual. Most people tend to focus only on shut-eye (she’s critical of the wellness sector “commoditising sleep”) but a diagnostic approach to assessing which areas of your life need attention could help get to grips with the real root cause of your fatigue.
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So many of us are used to operating at such full pelt that taking proper rest can feel almost uncomfortable. Try to see it as basic maintenance, not self-indulgence. And consider this: though grind culture rewards perpetual availability, this could actually hamper your work performance. “The better you are at resting, the better you will be at working,” writes Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.
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It sounds counterintuitive, but nailing a good schedule can help you make the most of even small pockets of downtime: using your lunch break to properly relax, for example, or creating a post-work unwinding routine. Incorporating even fleeting moments could be enough to remain functional, advises Dalton-Smith who recommends building mini“sabbaticals” into everyday life.
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In her book Wintering, Katherine May unpicks the power of rest and retreat in difficult times. She suggests there are fallow periods of life where we need to retreat to repair ourselves. Accepting this, she suggests, helps us to accept life’s ebb and flow. Meanwhile, Soojung-Kim Pang draws on emerging neuroscience in his book, Rest: it’s packed with tips for taking ‘deliberate rest’.
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“Part of rest is that you don’t feel beholden to external things you’re supposed to do,” David Eccles, a sports psychology professor, tells Time magazine. Stick to your working hours as much as possible and check out your legal rights and workplace policies: Australia recently passed a bill granting employees the ‘right to disconnect’, with potential criminal repercussions for bosses who break the rule.
Image: Kenny Eliason
Main image: Dimensions
