top of page

What is Rest?

I just realized that I'm still working on an assignment that started back in 2022 which seems to have no finish line...and, honestly, it doesn't concern me in the least!


I began my wellness journal in February, 2022 and I only intended to keep the practice going for three months. (It was an assignment for one of my grad courses...which, yes I have completed.) Here I am three years later to share a bit of what has evolved from an individual practice to a wellness collaboration that I now share with some beautiful people!

 

In our January Creating Communities meetup, we talked about the book Rest Is Resistance. There was a quote that refers to how rest is not a luxury or something we have to earn. Another quote suggests what “rest” might look like. We had some really good conversations about why we feel rest is something we have to earn (because it is not!). We decided what rest might look like for each of us over the next month or so. I decided that my version of rest would involve building firm, yet caring boundaries. I was feeling light and nourished from our talk as I headed out for a beautiful morning walk.

 

Later that day I was speaking with someone about how hard it is for us to feel we deserve rest. I had to make a deal with myself that I needed to work all day Saturday so that I could give myself permission to take a rest on Sunday. (The author, Tricia Hersey, would not agree that I needed to work so hard to earn rest BTW!) The person I was speaking with was super supportive of my resting for the day on Sunday; and asked how I would rest. I explained my plan to walk more, maybe do some cooking and just rest. This was not good enough. She wanted to know if there was more in my plan…was there a hobby or something? What would I do to rest? It felt like a few long walks and cooking was not enough. This person wanted more of a schedule for my rest day. Apparently rest meant something different to her.

 

I realized that my plan for rest was fine…it was my plan…what I perceived to be restful and rejuvenating. Rest is not a one-time deal hopefully! For this one day (which is a huge time to devote to rest), my vision of rest was fine. I must have been asked three or four times what else I would do to rest given that I had devoted an entire day to this. It was beginning to feel like pressure rather than rest…what was she expecting? I am proud to say that I was able to kindly reiterate what I planned in a matter of fact tone. I did not feel upset or judged…just explained that this is the plan that would work for me and I stuck with my plan.

 

Next month we will continue to discuss how rest can be whatever you need it to be. It can be as big or as small, as short or long, as active or passive…as long as it rejuvenates you in some way. So there you go! If you missed January’s session you have been briefed. If this topic intrigues you, please join for one of our February meetups. We will continue talking about how rest looks different for each one of us and why. Most importantly, we will continue reflecting on our attempts at and our plans for future rest opportunities.

 

I hope some of you will join us as we talk more about rest!




Want to read more?

Subscribe to caringforyou.ca to keep reading this exclusive post.

39 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page