I think we've really lost touch with what it means to rest. We live in a culture that promotes suppressing symptoms of illness by taking pills so that, instead of resting as we should, we can continue with our daily lives as if we are well. What's up with that?
We use derogatory terms like "couch potato." Lazy is a dirty word. A few extra pounds are something to be ashamed of. We define ourselves by what and how much we do. You snooze, you lose. Well, Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care. While he was busy, I had a cup of tea.
We operate under the illusion that we're trapped because we won't give ourselves permission to put our health first. We have to break free of these attitudes, evaluate which ones we've bought into and then love ourselves enough to take the rest we need. We have to fill our own cup and then give from the overflow, rather than deplete the cup, in the beautiful words of Iyanla Vanzant.
When you are sick you probably need more rest than when you are well. The immune system needs you to help it along - to do your part. When did we decide that resting is unnecessary, a nuisance, wimpy? If I remind you here that our bodies ask for rest when they need it because our bodies are intelligent, you'll probably nod to yourself - yes, I remember that from somewhere back in the dark ages.
So withholding rest - what is that? Isn't it kind of mean? Our bodies serve us well. Our feet get us from place to place - sometimes they carry us. Our backs help us in the garden and our ears allow us to hear indescribable beauty - not just music, but our children's laughter, our father's voice. I snuggle up with my dog, Charlie, smell his fur and know heaven in my heart. That is valuable, no?
My body needs my support. I need to do what I can to help it sleep at night. For me that means no conversation after 8 pm, no computer either. There was a time that would have made me resentful. Big deal. I love the quiet of it now. I need to keep my body warm enough - I owe it that much. If that means the electric bill is a bit higher, so be it. I like to keep a clean house, but if it's between the house and resting when I need to, rest has to win. This is common sense to me now, but at first I resisted. Why is it so hard for us to love ourselves enough?
I've taught myself to take a break at the first sign of tiredness. This used to push a lot of buttons for me. My CFS was in my face and I resented it. Now it doesn't matter if I'm just getting in my car to go somewhere or if I've got a pie half-made. If I've just gotten my mess-up clothes and garden gloves on, pulled weeds for five minutes and then have a wave of tiredness, off go the gloves and other paraphernalia. That's it. I grab a cup of tea and sit in a comfortable chair outside and watch the birds or I lay down awhile with my dogs. I don't stress about it. You have to teach yourself to notice when the tiredness first comes and then not to stress these inconveniences.
It is said that 20 minutes of relaxation is equivalent to five hours of sleep.
Ask yourself what it really means to take care of yourself. How would you care for a friend? Then moment by moment by moment, choose that.
Visit my Bodytalk page for information on sleep disturbances.
