Intentional Rest

Getting distracted, procrastinating, and surfing the Web (nosurf!) are ways to not be productive for sure, but are they restful?

Not for me, they aren’t.

I feel drained and guilty after taking a rest when I intended to get something done.

It doesn’t matter if the thing I intended to do was taking out the trash, writing a program, or painting a picture.

And it doesn’t matter if I instead watched YouTube or re-organized the glassware, or tried to read every blog ever written in one sitting.

The end result is the same: I am not recharged.

And of course not. I’ve spent that whole time with the thought in the back of my head that I should be doing something else! How could I possibly relax with that thought buzzing around in there like some tireless insect.

But if I intend to relax. If I have given myself permission to rest and pursue leasure, then I recharge.

It’s a totally different feeling.

I also spend the time differently. I’m way less likely to turn to high-endorphin, low-value outlets like online gossip or funny videos.

With a true relaxed mindset, I am likely to pick up an interesting book I’ve been wanting to read for a while. Or do some drawing or painting. Or go outside for a walk.

In other words, not only does having the intention (or permission) to rest make the time much more relaxing, the very things I pursue during that time tend to be higher-quality, wholesome activities.

In turn, those satisfying activities leave me feeling good and more relaxed. It’s a virtuous cycle.

The other thing is that I find myself slowing down. I don’t rush around trying to pack everything I can into every moment. Now I can watch a bird out the window for five minutes and feel absolutely no concern that I’m spending my time unwisely.

When I’ve intented to rest, I suddenly take more notice of what I’m doing. Even the simple acts of cleaning the dishes or preparing a snack become borderline pleasurable mini-rituals.

So I think the question becomes: How do you give yourself permission to rest? How can you rest at all when there’s a TODO list with a dozen things on it?

I think maybe the answer is to believe that those things will get done.

And I think that belief comes from:

I haven’t mastered any of this stuff by a long shot, but I’ve experienced glimpses of it, so I know it’s real.