Rest is Sexy
I have been beat over the head lately with signs that maybe, just maybe, I should take it easy and rest. It finally took reading Dr. Matthew Edlund’s book The Power of Rest: Why Sleep Alone is Not Enough for me to chill out. (Especially since I’m the kind of person who can get seven to eight hours of sleep and still wake up feeling sluggish and off.)
Initially, I did not want to read this book because it’s about sleep. I figured it would put me to sleep and I wouldn’t actually learn about rest. Luckily, Dr. Edlund doesn’t write like a doctor. The book was easy to read and informative in ways I wasn’t expecting. (After all, he does write that rest is sexy.) He shares people’s stories including his own, explaining how lack of rest led to bummer situations. My internal light bulbs went off.
The book’s purpose is to help you rest and reset your body in 30 days, so the good doctor doesn’t waste any time. He lists the different kinds of rest we all need in order to recharge our batteries and then gives several ways in which to get our cool,calm and collected on.
I will admit I couldn’t get down with some of his techniques. Like I said earlier, I have issues with meditation. (My thoughts have thoughts for goodness’ sake!) I couldn’t really get my brain to go where he was trying to take it. (I don’t see the meadow, darn it!) But I did enjoy the other techniques immensely. In one part he tells the reader to pray as they are and then as they hope to be. I love writing like that and he sprinkles the whole text with similar little gems. Be prepared to work at the end of this book. You’ll be asked to journal your day and practice the techniques Edlund lays out. I’m currently practicing myself. So far, so good. I had my first good night of sleep the other day and woke up bouncing. I haven’t bounced in a long, long time.
If you’re looking to cure your zombie-like states each morning, this is the book for you. It’s a fast and easy read with achievable goals. I give it two well-rested thumbs up. —Tish
Credit: Alex Noriega (more of that hinting I needed rest)