The Power of Rest

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

Dr. Matthew Edlund, is known in the U.S. as the Rest Doctor (you can check him out at therestdoctor.com).  His book, “The Power of Rest: Why Sleep Alone Is Not Enough. A 30-Day Plan to Reset Your Body” is a great read if you want some good ideas about resting which is not limited to sleeping only but includes social rest, physical rest, mental and spiritual rest.  Here’s what the author says about rest, “Rest is not a waste of time. It is a biological need—a process for restoration and rebuilding. Rest is not useless but a major pathway to our renewal, our survival.  Rest more, accomplish more. Rest well, and you give yourself a better chance to live healthier and longer. So, recognize that rest is a priority.”

Physical Rest

The simplest form of physical rest is deep breathing. Take a deep breath and hold it by a count of 4 and a long exhale by counting to 8.  Five breaths of this may not seem like a lot, but it is. With those five breaths you’ve opened up the base of your lungs to better circulation, relaxed your body, concentrated your focus on what your body does in ways that let you both appreciate it and enjoy it, and found a way to rest that literally takes seconds and can be used virtually anywhere and anytime.

Another form of physical rest while working is to take 5 to 10-minute breaks after a half hour of work or study.  This can help us sustain our work or study while maintaining mental focus.

Social Rest

An engaging conversation with a colleague at work during lunch or a conversational walk with a friend can rejuvenate us where no computer game or smartphone app can do.   This goes without saying that we need to have as many friends as possible whom we can converse at any time and at any day.   Having many social connections has been proven to add meaning and longevity to one’s life.  This is a no brainer because we know that one of the greatest joys in life come from deep relationships with fellow humans.

Spiritual and Mental Rest

I have combined these two kinds of rest here although the book separates it into two topics.  The book recommends meditation for mental rest, and prayer for spiritual rest.  But for us Christians there is no difference between the two.  Meditation and prayer are one and the same thing.  For Eastern religions such as Hinduism, meditation focuses on breathing and one’s inner self.  We Christians focus on God and ourselves when we pray.  Prayer or spiritual meditation is simply talking to God and sometimes reflecting on a virtue or spiritual teaching from Scripture or from other spiritual books.  There is no fixed formula on how to pray.  Just pray as you are and pray as you hope to be.  The theme of your prayer should be the theme of your life.  Talk to God what happened to you during the day and take time to listen to what He says to you as well through the movements of your heart and conscience.  Medical studies have shown that prayer as short as 10 minutes per day does great things to one’s overall health and well-being.  This is one of the best form of rests because it is resting in the warm embrace of the Lord.