The Rest Of Your Life

We typically think about training to increase things like speed, strength and agility, but we don’t focus on rest. I remember a specific moment driving in traffic a few years ago. Starting and stopping. Thinking about the time I was wasting. Wishing I was somewhere else. I felt a tension in my shoulders, and a headache started to creep across the base of my neck. While exploring a number of meditation methods over the last decade, I’ve learned to be in tune with my physical and mental states. No, I wasn’t planning to meditate in traffic, but I wanted to explore this tension I was feeling. I was my own captive audience and laboratory. After scanning through my body, I felt a tightness in my jaw and my hands. For some reason, I was unknowingly bracing myself for a hostile situation. I focused my attention on my jaw muscles and started to try and relax them. From there, I loosened my grip on the steering wheel. Surprisingly, the release translated from the source throughout the system. Before I knew it, the tension in my shoulders and neck began to ease significantly. So quickly that it seemed magical. 

Many of us are juggling so many things that we fail to realize that our body’s automatic response to stimuli may be causing negative effects. 

Thankfully, we have the power to reverse some of them.

How else can you train the ability to rest?

If meditation scares you a little, box breathing is a great alternative. Clinical and sports psychologist, Dr. Leah Lagos explores the mind body connection through heart rate variability (HRV). HRV can be one of the ways to evaluate how well your body responds to stress. There is a rate of breathing that optimizes your HRV, and it can be different for everyone. Without getting too complicated or prescriptive (remember I’m not a medical professional), she suggests a 6-4 interval for most people. A slow six-second deep breath in with a controlled four-second exhale. I do this every morning for eight minutes. I’m not quite sure why I picked eight, but it sets a calming tone for the day.

Being well rested sets you up for being the best version of yourself. It helps me remember to dedicate energy to writing. Holding space is a big part of WTKY, and getting good at resting will help you hold space. Holding space will free your mind to explore your thoughts and ideas.

Tell us about your favorite ways to create space in the day.

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