The Power of Rest: Breaking the Crash-and-Burn Cycle
It feels like everyone is busy. Life is full and often times bursting at the seams, perhaps too full. What happens as a result of this busyness is that we don't get time to rest.
To avoid the inevitable crash-and-burn cycle and aim for sustainable productivity, embracing the concept of rest is essential.
If you are one of those people that repeatedly experiences crash-and-burn cycles or struggle with maintaining consistent productivity this is for you. Make rest and recovery time a priority.
For those driven by Type A personalities or perfectionist tendencies, carving out time for recovery might seem counterintuitive. However, neglecting rest can lead to an unsustainable lifestyle where something inevitably gives – often, it's your health. I speak from personal experience when I say that the inability to stop can take a significant toll.
When I push myself too hard without allowing for proper rest, both my mental health and immune system suffer. Exhaustion leaves me emotional and irrational, and I find myself caught in a vicious cycle of recurrent infections, falling sick almost every fortnight for months on end.
For my clients, the consequences of neglecting rest manifest in various ways: mouths full of ulcers, persistent insomnia, chronic fatigue, and inflamed muscles, to name a few. Exhaustion wears many masks.
My good friend Lisa O’Neill, often speaks about understanding ourselves as containers – knowing our capacity to take on and hold responsibilities. With her extensive commitments, including raising four children, having worked as CEO of a business school, and juggling roles as a motivational speaker, mentor, and author, Lisa exemplifies someone with a sizable container.
She effortlessly manages her responsibilities without any signs of imminent burnout. In contrast, I've often overestimated the size of my container. As a health mentor, mother, and wife, I've found myself holding space for many others while neglecting my own need for rest.
Reflecting on this tendency to prioritise others over myself has been eye opening. The more I've delved into understanding this behaviour, the better I've become at recognising the importance of rest and making it a priority. It's a work in progress, but as I learn to prioritise my own well-being and embrace moments of rest, I've noticed a remarkable shift towards a more sustainable approach to life and work.
If you're aiming to play the long game with productivity and avoid the crash-and-burn cycle, prioritizing rest is non-negotiable.
Consider your downtime as valuable as your uptime, recognising that without it, you compromise both the quality and duration of your productive periods. Rest is a fundamental pillar of health and well-being, alongside sleep and nutrition.
In today's fast-paced and uncertain world, where busyness is often worn as a badge of honour, the importance of rest cannot be overstated. It's not a luxury; it's a necessity. So, let's embrace the art of resting well and reap the benefits of sustainable productivity and overall well-being.
