Hi Friends~
I’m not good at slowing down and stopping, but today I did. I made myself lie down, and fell asleep for a whole hour. In the middle of a Monday – amazing.
A 3 minute segment on napping on the radio yesterday gave me good reasons to allow myself to rest. As if I need reasons. Permission – I do. Maybe you do too.
Are you compelled to do ALL of the things on your list, and maybe adding more? Does being productive make you feel validated? Or maybe deep down you want to win someone else’s respect? I haven’t had therapy to find out why I feel so satisfied after a day of a full plate of tasks is completed, and thereby neglecting time to rest. I know talk the talk about rest and recovery…
Yesterday was the first day of Daylight Saving Time. (I LOVE when they days are longer!) and we were scheduled to greet at 8am service. So 7am was really 6am. As usual I had woken up twice during the night and worked on breathing techniques to get back to sleep. So who knows what time my body thought it was. But I love meeting members of our community and it feels so good starting the day with hellos and smiles.
When we got home I jumped into workout gear to make an on-demand workout video for the coaching group I belong to. I mean I had agreed to get it done only the day before, and they were on a deadline, so I had to do it, right? It was a good video and the group was so appreciative.
In less than 90 minutes, it was off to the city St Pat’s Parade, decked out in green with my bike decorated to join the Slow Roll bike riding group I had organized. After slowly rolling along the parade route in freezing wind for an hour, waving to friends on the side of the road, I headed home.
Then I hopped into the car to visit my pregnant daughter for hugs and tea for the sweetest part of the day.
On the way back home I heard it: WNYC All Things Considered, from NPR Life Kit, How to take the perfect nap. I needed that.
The benefits of napping are obviously mental and physical, but the right kind of nap during the day: duration, time of day, and consistency can also improve creativity, and even athletic performance.
“National Napping Day was created in 1999 by a Boston University professor and his wife. William Anthony Ph.D. and his wife Camille Anthony created this holiday to spread awareness on the importance of getting enough sleep and its benefits. The holiday was meant to help make up for the amount of sleep lost when the hour changes. The date was chosen because studies have shown that people are already at their most tired and sleep deprived after daylight savings changes. The change of the hour really makes a difference, but National Napping Day can make you feel like there was no change at all.” See more here.
Here’s another great episode on napping: Disruption Though Napping, with author Tricia Hersey, the author of Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto
In this 19 minute segment, the author invites you to imagine a world in which you’re fully rested. It’s a world, she says, which makes space for imagination, creativity, and restoration.
Roughly, 1 in 3 adults worldwide have insomnia symptoms, so I’m in good company. I have no intention of using drugs, so maybe a nap will enable me to sleep better at night if I time it right. 20 minutes can be perfect.
The other thing is being able to carefully, thoughtfully choose the things that fill my time. Saying no is a skill.
I’m a work in progress.
Love to know your thoughts on napping.
x
Polli
