Our Relationship with Rest Needs Work (Atomic Essay Day 29)
Both my parents are self employed. I have grown up seeing both of them work weekends - at least for some time. I have fairly misplaced notions of rest and what that means.
I was working last weekend and travelling the two weekends before that so it’s been a long month to say the least. I have work tomorrow as well and honestly, I think I would have cried if I didn’t get today off. I slept in today after what seems like forever and I was so happy despite being woken up by the bell.
We live in a world which glorifies hustle culture. Rest has become synonymous to the lack of work but it is so much more that that. Rest also adds to your work. It’s something that helps you come back stronger, and performer and be better.
I like an athletes notion of rest. Most training has rest built into it. Coaches encourage rest. I think our work life can learn a lot from the way exercise looks at rest. Rest is not a luxury.
If anything, rest should be like breathing or better still poop. You need it everyday. Just because you experienced it one day doesn’t mean you don’t need it the next. Some days you need it more than other days. And everyone’s experience or manifestation of it is different.