April 27 Cultivate play & Rest. Let go of exhaustion as a status symbol and
Affirmation: Life does have to be perfect to be beautiful.
It seems that living and loving with our whole hearts requires us to respect our bodies’ need for renewal. When I first researched the ideas of rest, sleep, and sleep debt—the term for not getting enough—I couldn’t believe some of the consequences of not getting proper rest.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression.3 We’re also learning that drowsy driving can be as dangerous—and as preventable—as driving while intoxicated. Yet, somehow many of us still believe that exhaustion is a status symbol of hard work and that sleep is a luxury. The result is that we are so very tired. Dangerously tired.
The same gremlins that tell us we’re too busy to play and waste time fooling around are the ones that whisper:
“One more hour of work! You can catch up on your sleep this weekend.”
“Napping is for the weak.”
“Push through. You can handle it.”
But the truth is, we can’t handle it. We are a nation of exhausted and overstressed adults raising overscheduled children. We use our spare time to desperately search for joy and meaning in our lives. We think accomplishments and acquisitions will bring joy and meaning, but that pursuit could be the very thing that’s keeping us so tired and afraid to slow down.
If we want to live a wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth.
Making the choice to rest and play is, at best, counterculture.
Get Going: Say no today. Buck the system. Take something off your list and add “take a nap.”
(I took a nap yesterday and today! 😍 set time apart to rest.)
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