Even though practicing silence can feel frightening and unnerving at first, push past that feeling. Stay with it! There is a place on the other side of that fear where the waters of peace run deep. For you, maybe it’s in the morning shower before you’ve been sucked into the rhythm of the day. Or maybe it’s somewhere out in nature where you can sit alone and just feel the sun or the wind. Wherever it is, make a point to seek out silence sometime this week and befriend it.

Rituals are a fantastic way to help us mark time that we would otherwise brush quickly past. It makes sense. We all tend to get caught up in the flow of things, our to do lists, in responding to all the emails, texts, and messages. A ritual is like a sticky note for life. It says, “Remember this!” It could be the hot drink in the morning that helps ease you into the day or the firm but kind handshake you give when meeting someone for the first time professionally.

For several months, I was getting enough sleep. I was within the 7-9 hours recommended to adults, but I was still exhausted. I was up in the mornings, let’s say by 8am (college student) and finally in bed around 12am. Sounds ok right? Nope. Those 16 hours were filled to the brim with classes, my job, extra-curricular activities, homework, etc. My schedule was so crammed, I couldn’t think about anything else. Mentally, I was so tired.

I never considered myself creative or an artist. I always wanted to be but never felt I had those natural talents. My skillset was being organized and organizing others. This led to me working with creative types in management or supporting roles. By spending time with people I considered artists, I learned so much about their process and what it took for them to get their creative juices flowing. 

A couple of months ago I read an article specifically for introverts. For those of you who don’t know what it means to be introverted, it simply means our energy recharges from being alone, versus extroverts who get recharged from being around people. Being an introvert does not mean we are antisocial or that we don’t like going to parties, it will simply drain our energy eventually and we will be spent. Many times people plan parties on the weekend or want to get together on the weekends because work usually won't interfere and it's the way things have always been done. This article suggested that introverts reverse that. It suggested that we try to do all of our socialization on week nights so that we can take the entire weekend for ourselves and have a true day of rest. 

Being sick always comes at the most inconvenient times. It never seems to come on a rainy day when no one wants to be outside. Instead you always find yourself stuck indoors on the most beautiful days feeling terrible with only the desire to lay in bed or on the couch. For most of my life I would turn to watching movies when I was sick. You don’t really feel like doing anything else, so you just stare at a screen, not really enjoying the movie or even processing what is going on. It took me a number of years to realize that this type of behaviour wasn’t even restful for me while I was sick. It usually made my headache far worse and my sickness would just be drawn out. What your body really needs is a rest from your normal everyday habits. 

In today’s world, there are countless distractions to keep our minds running and our bodies on the go. When it’s time to finally rest, the cards are stacked against us. If you’ve found it hard to turn off the fast-flying thoughts or to get that heart rate down when it’s time to sleep, here are a few ideas and why they will help. 

Society often talks in extremes. Either you are a workaholic and need to chill out or you are lazy and need to do something with your life. It often seems like there is no middle ground, no balance. Personally, I tend to stay busy. I like having a schedule, routine, etc. I crave productivity in my daily life. However, if I don’t give myself any time to rest, my productivity level goes down, I’m irritable, and I feel exhausted.

Society constantly tells us that we need to “Go, go go!” or we’re lazy, unambitious, or unmotivated. Even in this rising self-care movement, it can still seem like resting is frowned upon. However, rest is imperative! If we are constantly moving, thinking, working, etc., eventually, we will burn ourselves out and become irritable and all around exhausted. I personally struggled with this last year. 

Have you ever felt so absorbed in an activity that you lost track of time? In an article with Wired magazine, positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described a flow state by saying, “The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost” (Cherry, 20221). It’s important to point out that the experience of flow isn’t just limited to hobbies or creative pursuits. Certain types of work can also let you tap into a place of deep, restful concentration.