The Importance of Rest

What is rest for you?

I’m not talking about sleeping or necessarily sitting and doing nothing. Resting isn’t about being lazy. I'm talking about rest where you let go of all the worries and thoughts in your head for a while. Letting go of the “to do” lists, the pressures of life.

So how important is rest? Is rest really beneficial?

In my opinion resting our minds is vital and as I have said, it is not necessarily about doing nothing, for many it’s doing something; knitting, reading, running, yes even running or exercising. Because whatever you choose to do to rest doesn’t matter as long as it’s a time where you can temporarily switch off from the stresses, strains, thoughts and worries of every day life.

Personally I have a variety of things I do to rest; tending my allotment, walking my dogs across the fields, mindfulness, sometimes just watching rubbish TV.

Whether you run, meditate or you are being creative, make sure in 2020 you set aside some time to rest your mind. So many people make resolutions to exercise more. But have you considered exercising your ability to rest?

If you don’t do it, try it! Because I think you will find it more beneficial than you can imagine. You become more focused, more productive and it can also improve your memory and of course most definitely can improve your mental health.

Mental health... we all have it, each and every one of us. Yes even you!

Some people have good mental health and some not so good. We are always being encouraged to look after our physical health, exercise etc. But we tend to forget that actually we need to look after our mental health too.

It’s easier than you think, because it’s about doing something you enjoy that you can lose yourself in and leave everyday thinking behind.

Setting some time aside for yourself, should not be thought of as some sort of guilty pleasure but as a necessity. Give it a try if you haven't already!