The Lost Art of Resting

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear a CBC Tapestry episode about "The Rest Test" ~ the largest global study to date on rest, how people find rest, and what rest actually is. Claudia Hammond (BBC) has also written a book translating the data into language we can all relate to. You can listen to the interview here, and find the book here.

Reframing things actually works. Sometimes my clients say something like, "You mean lie to myself? I mean, if I think this is crappy, how does telling myself it's not make it any less crappy?"

If that were actually reframing, it'd be a fair question. Reframing is not lying to yourself or trying to make one thing into another. Reframing is 'framing or expressing a concept or plan differently.' In The Rest Test, the idea of reframing is explained as 'thinking differently about a thing.' Specifically, if you feel frustrated at having to wait in line to accomplish a task, and your internal dialogue is about that frustration (story follows state), then naturally, the internal agitation increases. Reframing might be something like this, "I need to wait in line which means I have some time to daydream/think about dinner/enjoy the sunshine/watch people." You're still standing in line, and you still need to wait, but the reframe changes your mindset and can have a positive impact on your emotional state.

Reframing also might be something like, "I'm going to take a 10 minute break every 50 minutes today because I need to look after my mental health as much as my running looks after my physical health." Instead of feeling guilty about leaving your desk for a few minutes, thanks to the reframe, you might feel a sense of wellbeing instead. The activity is the same, it's how you think about it that's different.

What if you decided that just for today, you would try reframing the things that cause you some form of internal angst? What is another way you can think about your internal thought process from a perspective that creates a sense of satisfaction, or rest, or wellbeing instead of guilt, frustration, anger, (or some other uncomfortable, unwanted feeling)?

It works. Truly.

As an added bonus, Claudia Hammond mentions that her current go-to for "soul-satisfying music" is Punch Brothers. She listens to this group as she 'dead heads in the garden' when taking a break from her work. I listened to their "Live at House of Blues" concert while writing this blog. Totally good-for-resting music. At least I think so.

How do you rest?

Take good care,

Susannah-Joy