Friday open thread: rest

[dolorosa_12]

It's my coffee break, I've got about half a day's work remaining for the year, and then I'm on holiday until 2nd January. In the past, Matthias and I have flown to Australia to spend three weeks with my family in December/January, but the astronomical post-pandemic costs of international flights have put paid to that forever. When we're not in Australia, we tend to travel to Germany to spend Christmas with Matthias's family. However, during the pandemic, everyone got very used to spending this time celebrating separately at home, and realised that although we enjoyed each other's company, doing the big family celebrations every year was exhausting, and we made the decision to alternate between being together in Germany, and going our separate ways (Matthias's sister and her husband and children are spending the holiday in Austria this year).

As a result, once I finish work today, there will be no day-long train trip across five countries (contending with the inevitable chaos of Deutsche Bahn), and instead I will have ten days of uninterrupted rest. I'll read (I've already made a start on my usual seasonal rereads — 'Sing for the Coming of the Longest Night,' The Dark Is Rising, and The Bear and the Nightingale), I'll cook, I'll work my way through the Yuletide collection, we'll go for walks, I'll go swimming and do yoga and set up my new bullet journal, and it will all be incredibly peaceful. All the various food and wine has already been bought, and other than a trip into Cambridge tomorrow, there will be no need to go very far.

All that is by way of preamble to today's open thread prompt: what does 'rest' look like for you?

As you might be able to tell, I don't think of 'rest' as doing very little, or sleeping in (I am physically incapable of sleeping in, and it's been like this all my life — even when I was a teenager, in prime sleeping in age, I never woke up later than about 7 or 8am, and even when I'm incredibly tired or ill, this tends to result in afternoon napping rather than staying asleep longer in the morning), but rather being in absolute control over my own time. Knowing when meals are going to happen and what each meal will involve, knowing that the shopping has been done and that every required item is accounted for, choosing when I want to exercise or read or write or clean or go outside for a walk, without any externally imposed demands: that, for me, is rest. It's restful for my mind, and this in turn affects how relaxed my body feels. I'm so fortunate to be able to be in a situation conducive to this kind of rest, for such an extended period of time.

How about you? What does it mean to you to rest?

Comments

[vriddy]

Ten days of uninterrupted rest sound like a dream! I'll have nearly a week of the same, and I am so looking forward to it. I was just telling my housemate that "my gift to myself is to have time without commitments" which is pretty close to what you're saying as well :) I'm worn pretty thin at the moment so I suspect although I'd love to focus on hobby stuff, I'll probably have a mindless time for the first couple of days. But I'm looking forward to focusing on things that matter to me after that, and maybe daydream/plan for a future in which I can do more of that once I have the time and mental space for it.

[dolorosa_12]

That does sound very nice, although I'm sorry to hear you're feeling worn thin — I'm quite burnt out as well, and it seems to have been a very hard year for a lot of people. Mindless time for a couple of days seems like a good way to reset your mind, and then focus on stuff that requires more mental energy.

I hope you're able to have a restful week.

[vriddy]

It has been a really tough year for many of us. Thank you for the good wishes, and good luck with resting and feeling less burnt out <3

[trepkos]

I wish I knew. I don't think I know how to rest, unless I am on holiday somewhere, away from all the little jobs I create for myself. Then I can just sit on the balcony and watch birds - but even then, I have to look them up, and list them ... I used to be able to rest by just lying in the sun. Not so much now - it's too strong.

[dolorosa_12]

I'm sorry to hear this. It's so hard to quiet a noisy mind (I have this issue when trying to sleep — my thoughts are like insects buzzing around in my head), and it's awful when it impede efforts to relax.

[trepkos]

I think dancing is the only time I am not thinking too much - so long as no idiots come and annoy me. Also swimming in the sea - but then I have to look out for rocks etc.

[dolorosa_12]

I always say that — for me — swimming is the only thing that quiets the sea inside, so I understand what you mean.

[oracne]

I am like you in that I want food to be laid in and ready so I don't have to think about it. I like to have already done my laundry and changed my sheets and things like that. I'm not good at just sitting doing nothing, but puzzles and watching documentaries are good, and of course reading. This year, I'm going to try to have less internet, more exercise, and see how that goes.

[dolorosa_12]

It's not so much that I don't want to think about food — I enjoy cooking, and find it relaxing, including stuff that takes a long time or is quite fiddly to cook. What I don't like is have a lack of control over meals. I like to know what I'm going to be eating, and know how long it will take to prepare (whether that's half an hour or five hours). If I'm the one in charge of all the meals, I know exactly how long everything will take, and how to prepare it.

his year, I'm going to try to have less internet, more exercise, and see how that goes.

This sounds like a really good plan.

[chestnut_pod]

May your carefully controlled rest be restful, then! I would use a similar definition for myself: though I do tend to sleep a great deal the first day or two of a vacation, afterwards, I get bored simply doing nothing! Rest is the time for good long walks.

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you! I'm definitely like you, I get bored doing nothing and don't find it relaxing. And there's nothing like a long walk, is there? I hope you're able to get some in during the next week or so. We always try to go for a walk on the 26th, and I like a long walk to be the first thing I do after breakfast on 1st January, but this year we're also meeting up with some friends and walking on the 28th as well. Those are the only firm plans, but I'm sure there'll be more wandering around outside, if the weather is nice.

[used_songs]

I never sleep in either. For me rest is not having my time pre-planned and scheduled (either by myself or someone else) so that I can do the things I want to do as they occur to me - read, draw, sew, go online, play games, etc.

[dolorosa_12]

That makes a lot of sense — that freedom and flexibility with one's time is so rare, and so valuable. I hope you're able to get some time like that soon.

[corvidology]

I do relatively well in other aspects of life but I'm terrible at resting unless it's forced upon me by illness... and even then I fight against it.

The closest I think I get is 'escaping' into a good book which enables me to shut out the world.

[dolorosa_12]

I am very, very good at resting (I mean, it's the kind of scheduled rest that I describe in the post, but that suits me fine), but I get so few opportunities for it, because it's extremely rare for me to have long blocks of uninterrupted time. That's why this particular ten-day holiday at home is so precious to me!

Escaping into a book is such a comfort! I hope you get a chance to do some reading over this holiday period.

[merit]

That sounds like a delightful version of rest and close to mine. Though I am less good at organising food in advance. Losing track of time is so peaceful!

[dolorosa_12]

Isn't it just? I hope you're able to have a nice restful time, without any food-related stress, over the holiday period.