Writer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
Every coin has two sides. If one side of our summer goals coin is to dismantle hustle culture, the other is to prioritize rest and relaxation.
Speaking of two-sided concepts, rest and relaxation are often treated like synonyms, but they are actually different but related things. Rest is more physical, and it means giving your body the downtime it needs to thrive. One of the most important parts of rest is sleep. Relaxation is more mental, and it means carving out time for the activities that bring you joy. Hobbies and hanging out with loved ones are examples of relaxation. So, rest and relaxation are unique but both necessary for wellbeing.
It is so important that each of us get enough rest and relaxation. Resting and relaxing are how we recharge from our often busy lives, and how we maintain our physical, mental, and emotional health. Rest and relaxation ultimately allow us to show up fully for our friends, family, and ourselves.
It can be really hard to rest and relax though. Everyday family, school, and work responsibilities constantly weigh on us. There is also a lot of guilt associated with rest and relaxation. Our productivity-focused society tells us that we should feel bad for taking time off, even though downtime is actually a crucial ingredient to making us well-rounded people, not to mention excellent professionals.
How can we overcome these obstacles to get the rest and relaxation we need? Sometimes, we do have to stand up for ourselves. Remind family members, friends, educators, and bosses that rest and relaxation have to be part of our daily lives, and that they are how we can be the best family members, buddies, students, and colleagues we can be.
Rest and relaxation also sometimes require getting creative, and making strategic compromises. Shave five minutes off your study time to jam out to a great song. Find activities that feel productive and fun at the same time, like a volunteer gig that you are passionate about, or a hobby that comes with tangible rewards (think knitting, cooking, gardening, jogging, etc.). And we won’t tell your parents if you don’t that the hour they thought you were spending researching colleges was actually spent taking a much needed nap!
It’s important that we also rest and relax on our own terms. What works for one person may not fit another. If you like structure in your life, don’t be afraid to structure your relaxation time, and to put concrete things in place to bolster your rest. If you prefer to be more free flowing, then give yourself some wiggle room throughout your day to insert bits of rest and relaxation when the mood strikes you.
The most important thing to remember is that rest and relaxation shouldn’t be treats reserved for special occasions, but instead normal parts of our everyday lives. You don’t have to earn your right to rest or relax, you deserve those things just by being you. And especially as youth and young Asian people, rest and relaxation aren’t just healthy practices, they are revolutionary ones in a world that often fails to recognize our worth. So let’s claim our power and value, through action, and through rest and relaxation.
Sources
Knight, Chelsea, “Rest Vs Relaxation”, The Psych Professionals, 2021. https://psychprofessionals.com.au/rest-vs-relaxation/. Accessed 7 July 2021.
Reader’s Digest, “What’s Your Relaxation Style?”, Reader’s Digest UK, 2021. https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/health/health-conditions/whats-your-relaxation-style. Accessed 7 July 2021.
Tartakovsky, Margarita, “Reducing Your Guilt About Not Being Productive”, Psych Central, 12 July 2015. https://psychcentral.com/blog/reducing-your-guilt-about-not-being-productive#1. Accessed 7 July 2021.