Are you getting adequate Rest?

 

-Are you getting Adequate Rest? Blog Post by Dr Karishma Ahuja-
 
Modern-day living does not always embrace the necessity for enough rest. Yet, it is important that we make an effort to get adequate rest. When we are overworked and deprived of rest, we negatively impact our mood, concentration, energy levels and overall Wellbeing. We even lose clarity and enthusiasm to complete tasks. Life starts to feel more of a struggle. Infact several studies also suggest that inadequate rest can affect a person’s ability to make right choices and desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, right amount of rest can positively impact our confidence, happiness and productivity levels.
 
Adequate Rest is very essential for Health and Success. However rest is not limited to Sleep. True Rest is that which is found at the physical, mental and emotional level. Being able to rest physically, mentally and emotionally is a key factor to experience good health, peace and happiness in life.
 
 
1. Physical rest
 
When the body is in a state of rest, the neurological pathways are rewired that help us in better processing thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Physical rest can be achieved by Quality sleep at night.The body’s internal clock naturally knows when it is time to wake up and when it is time to get into bed. However, the current fast-paced lifestyle that we are accustomed to disturbs the body’s natural rhythm which plays havoc with our sleep–a crucial ingredient of rest!
 
While we are asleep, the body keeps working on essential processes in the background. Sleep is crucial for the body to carry out metabolism, build up the immune system, detoxify the organs, rebuild tissues, and in general help us feel refreshed and rejuvenated for the next day. Sleep imbalance is a primary reason behind lack of rest. According to Ayurveda, sound sleep is essential for a healthy body. However, the question is not only about “how many hours” you sleep but it is also about “when” you sleep and how disciplined you are with your sleeping habits for, the time of night when you sleep makes a significant difference to the structure and quality of your sleep
 
It is important to finish your dinner early and then have adequate gap between your dinner and bed time. Sleeping before 11 pm is important. It will help improve quality of sleep. It is also equally important to slow down, relax and reduce your physical activities after dinner to prepare the mind and body for sleep. This will overall help in giving your body, mind, and soul the rest that it needs.If you are very tired, fatigued, and exhausted, try to go to bed early so that your physical body can recover quickly and you can feel better soon.
 

 

2. Mental rest
 
The competitive world that we live in today has made us believe that if we are not busy or engaged in doing a particular activity or task, then we are “unproductive”. But this is untrue. If your mind and body are constantly working like machines, sooner or laetr there will be a breakdown. The idea that you got to constantly go after your dreams and not give yourself any break or rest until you achieve your desire is not only unhealthy, but it is also unncessary. Consciously taking steps to slow down, enjoying the present and allowing the mind to detach from thoughts is the key to mental rest, wellbeing and infact even productivity. Overthinking could often cause stress and drain our energy. Adequate mental rest is extremely important to cope with worry & anxiety and to ensure we maintain optimal physical and mental health.
 
A great way to get some mental rest and relaxation is to stay away from devices like your phone or laptop. We are so busy logging on to the internet why not take time off to log on to inner net within us? Spend few minutes in silence. Just being with yourself. The breath and mind are deeply connected. As the breath gets calmer, the mind gets more relaxed. You may try to breathe in and out slowly and consciously. Focus on your breath that you are taking in and the breath that is leaving your body. The best time to do this would be first thing in the morning. It will help refresh your mind and calm your senses. In silence, you can recover a lot of the energy that you may have lost due to stress or anxiety.
 
Another great way to give yourself mental rest is to spend time in nature. When you enjoy the beauty, sounds and fresh air around you, you will feel more peaceful. Walking can help in many ways to calm your mind and ease your tension. It can really help in clearing your mind of the multiple thoughts that could be keeping you very restless.
 

 

3. Emotional rest
 
This is very important because if we are emotionally unsettled or at unrest we will never be able to enjoy or live our life to the fullest. This is especially important after experiencing any trauma, grief, rejection or failure. Maintaining a good balance between work and personal life is extremely important for our emotional wellbeing. Spending quality time with positive people, loved ones and supportive friends can be very nurturing for your soul and help you to feel emotionally balanced and recharged.
 

 
Along with nurturing and maintaining harmonious relationships with others, we must also try to create a strong support system within us.This can be done by acknowledging how we are feeling and then trying to shift our feelings to more healthy and positive ones with the help of positive words and suggestions. For example, When you are feeling low or unworthy, you may choose to smile to ease your emotion and repeat a positive statement like, I am worthy of all good things” and continue to repeat it to yourself until you feel better. This will not only give you rest from negative emotions, it will also make you emotionally stronger and stable.
 

 
 
God Bless
Dr Karishma Ahuja, PhD
 

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