Rest - Silence and Surrender
“Be silent. Meaning is lost when there are too many words.”
My 2024 goals are going to involve more rest which will mean embracing silence and surrender.
The goal setting and intentions of New Year can be very intimidating and become disheartening when they aren't achieved. This year I'm changing my approach. I'm proud of my accomplishments over the last 2 years. I feel like I was in a very active phase of my life then but am now entering a quieter phase of my life. After the burnout cycles of last year I am inclined to simplify my life this year and slow down. It will be exciting to see what emerges as a result.
Benefits of a rest:
-improved mood regulation
-improves performance and productivity
-enhances decision making
-boosts creativity
-reduces inflammation
-improves immune system performance
As a woman I notice a natural tendency to need rest at certain times of the month and as I've become older I’ve learned to listen to that.
In the last few years I’ve also noticed that I have a tendency to need more rest in late autum and through winter.
If we participate in regular exercise routine our body needs recovery days to prevent injury and allow our body time to adapt to the changes we are making in a our bodies as a result of the exercise type.
If overstimulated by social media or any kind of media rest is important to allow our brains time to switch off and process everything that it is taking in.
I believe that after major life changes we need a period of rest in order to settle into these changes. This has been my experience.
Ideas for embracing rest:
-Turn off whatsapp or other messaging app notifications for a period of the day or a period of time in your life as needed
-Turn off other social media push notifications. Search for things that you want to research instead of being bombarded by too much information.
-Start a yoga nidra or non sleep deep relaxation practice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKGrmY8OSHM
-Sleep hygeine. Try to have lights low and low stimulus activities in the lead up to sleep. Try not to eat a heavy meal too close to sleep. No caffeine after 2pm. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Ideas for embracing silence :
-Meditation practice which involves quiet breathing and finding the silence in the gaps between the noises that emerge from silence
-Less social media use. Timers or focus mode set on phone to manage this.
-Walks in nature without music or podcasts.
-Practicing solitude. Sitting quietly and alone with no distractions from tv or media. Listening to what comes up in the body and mind in the silence.
-Longer Shavasana at the end of yoga practice.
Ideas for embracing surrender:
-Relinquish or at least acknowledge and observe the need to control aspects of our lives. Observe bodily reactions and self talk as we let go.
-When challenges crop up in life practice surrendering to them. Allow all the feelings and observe the self talk. Try to see the potential lessons as you move through a challenge.
-Reflect and journal on past experiences without harsh judgment of others or of ourselves. Take an ‘it is what it is’ approach and see what comes up as you observe it in a different way. Obviously this applies only to past experiences you think you can observe without bringing up trauma. All traumatic events in life should be discussed with a professional.
-Surrender to your present circumstances and find all the positives and negatives. Observe your thoughts and feelings about your present circumstances. If you could make a change what would it look like. No need to act just yet but maybe surrender to your imagination of what change looks like for you.
Resources:
-https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2021/01/15/the-benefits-of-resting-and-how-to-unplug-in-a-busy-world/
-https://longevity.technology/lifestyle/rest-benefits-concepts-methods-and-research/#:~:text=Heals%20the%20body,physical%20exertion%20or%20emotional%20stress.
