The Importance of Rest

On Sunday, I had a duvet day.  I'd been in a show last week, so after a busy day on the Saturday and a very late night due to the after show party, I needed a rest.

Now, normally, I'd probably have pushed through and tried to get on with the things piling up on my to-do list.  But I thought I'd try a different tactic this time.  This time, I embraced doing nothing.  And it was wonderfully liberating.

Now, I can hear you saying, "it's alright for you, I don't have the time to do nothing". And I realise I am in a fortunate state, that I can do this. But it does raise the issue of how important rest is.

Firstly, we don't function at full par when we're over tired.  Extreme tiredness is a form of stress for our bodies and stress has a negative effect on brain function.  We make mistakes and things can either take longer, or be of a lower standard.

Secondly, it's hard work being tired.  Life is less pleasant and things we'd normally take in our stride, become difficult to cope with.  We become over sensitive to things and can become emotional or irritable around others. And obviously, we need to mention that overriding desire to go back to bed.

Thirdly, and less obviously, we can become hyper.  Sometimes it's just adrenaline which is keeping us awake, or we can turn to caffeine and sugar.  This will take its toll on our body, and if we keep this up too long it can lead to burnout.

So, on Sunday, I snuggled down under the duvet, read copious amounts of Facebook and ended the day with a dose of Downton Abbey.

And by Monday I was back to normal energy levels.  So it paid off.

Why not try it sometime?