Rest For The Soul

Losing my regular job in the midst of the crazy changes happening to our planet over the past two years has been a blessing in disguise: it has caused me to re-evaluate my life choices and I’ve made conscious space for my creativity to emerge from its long-buried crypt. I feel more alive and joyful, and yes, even peaceful in the midst of the ongoing worldly turmoil. Self-care is now given non-negotiable precedence because I know that if I can’t and don’t take care of myself properly, then I’m not going to give my best to everything I do. In explaining my recent life changes to family and friends, I often use the analogy of airline oxygen mask instructions (how we are told to make sure to put on our own masks first before we assist others needing our help) to illustrate the common sense necessity of prioritizing care of ourselves before others. Out of that resolve to care firstly for myself, I’ve unintentionally reawakened the creative side of my being and have started to nurture my long-buried desire to write again. I wish to continue in this path that has brought me peace and to share the little that I’ve learned with fellow spirit travelers to help them along their own journeys. In this article, I will detail five ways I have invested in rest and reaped the creative benefits as well as my continuing resolutions.

1) Quiet time / Meditation / Yoga: I have flirted with these activities over the years, but when I felt myself getting wildly emotional over the continuing changes of circumstances, I knew I needed to get serious about taking the time to find emotional and spiritual grounding early each day. If my mind is on fire with feelings, my thinking is going to be scorched and useless as a result: none of us think well and clearly when we’re emotionally overwrought. I like to draw wisdom from a great variety of sources, so whether I begin my morning with a passage from the Bible, or The Daily Stoic or the autobiography of one who has seen terrible adversity (Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Nelson Mandela are favorites), or some other ponderous tome, I like to focus on thinking that elevates me above whatever present circumstances I am facing to give mental clarity. I’ve added yoga into this category because I find it works for me as a form of bodily meditation. It helps to keep me present in the moment and focused on where I am and what I’m doing. The daily practice of breathing slowly in and out when I’m in the extremity of a stretch challenging my body helps give me presence of mind to tap into that same focused breathing when I’m facing other stressful situations. When our minds are rested we are able to think with elevated purpose and breathe with calmness and clarity: creativity for problem-solving or artistry can then come into that made space. I resolve to continue making time for quietness in my life.

2) Connecting with nature: This is a big one. It is vital. My change of employment opened the door for me to do something completely different and I went to work doing gardening for an estate. A long drive out of the bustle of the city takes me deep into the rustic and rural where life moves more slowly. The breathtaking quiet of nature nevertheless speaks in soothing melodies to an overheated soul. I love the freshness of being outdoors and working with the plants and soil, enjoying the frolicking cats and the serenity of the koi pond. What came as a surprise to me was the deep peace and serenity that comes from being immersed in nature for such long periods of time. There is a quietness and power you can feel in your bones standing amongst a grove of tall old trees that have stood and swayed together through storms for decades or centuries. In nature we find the daily miracles of life and growth; the predictable patterns of sowing and reaping; the ever-changing but nevertheless familiar seasons of living. Modern science is even discovering our need for connection with nature as articles in both National Geographic and Time Magazine tell us that in Japan, the practice of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” has been practiced since the 1980’s and has been found to improve the overall well-being of those who practice it. There are deep and abiding comforts for the weary spirit found in connection with these known patterns and rhythms in nature: the billowing waves of interconnected planetary life. When we take the time to connect with nature, we feel ourselves to be part of a greater whole and feel the pull of purpose and meaning upon our lives. When we feel powerfully connected to our identities as spiritual beings of love and light, we also feel a sense of calling to pursue those connections and to make them deeper. Our gifts of individuality, of creative expression and unique being are meant to be shared with our fellow humans to bring the whole of life into greater light and clarity. A spirit that takes time to rest and refresh itself in nature will in turn give refreshment to others through liberated creative expression. It’s an easy resolution for me to continue seeking solace in nature.

3) Exercise and nutrition: We find rest for our bodies when we treat them with the care that they need to serve us well. In addition to biking and weightlifting, I also enjoy the vigor of being employed where my body is constantly challenged. I enjoy the pleasant ache of muscles that have been well used in testing their strength and being used with building purpose. It feels good to know I have the physical means of facing whatever tests life might have coming for me and to be able to enjoy rigorous activity. When I am physically wrung out at the end of a day, I find that it also greatly helps my sleep to be more restful. Eating well is important too for physical health, and I try to remember that what I eat is fuel for my body and my quality of life and health, not just a source of gastronomic pleasure. This is an area of enormous personal difficulty… stemming from a childhood of emotional and sexual abuse where I was bribed and comforted with large quantities of candy for my silence and compliance. I have struggled with my weight in the past and still have a tendency to fall into a sugar spiral when I’m knocked off balance, so I have to fight really hard to keep my feet under me here. Being strong in other ways helps to compensate for my weaknesses with sweets, but I nevertheless strive to rise above, and the greatest daily challenge to my resolve is here. I resolve to continue my fight for better health.

4) Making time for creation: Like many others who have joined the Great Resignation, I now work fewer hours than I did in my previous management job. I’ve trimmed the edges of my life and expectations to make due with less materially and to give me more time for creativity. Many of us continue for years to soldier diligently on in jobs that do nothing to inspire the people we are under the skin. We are endlessly round pegs shoved into the square holes of necessity and provision and many of us stay there until the imaginative, playful and joyful creatures we once were as children are long forgotten. The process of creation - like that of giving birth - can often be a long and painful one, so there needs to be time and space for those gifts to be brought forth, fought with, nurtured and grown. Thousands of lonely unseen hours of practice go on behind the scenes of that perfect stage pirouette or that thrilling concert. Who knows what talents or gifts we may have to share if we never give our spirits rest enough to discover them? We need to make the space for ourselves to struggle with those creative forces within us to give them the rest of birth, and I resolve to stay in this space of creative discomfort more frequently. I now schedule writing time into my daily life to treat it as an occupation and I resolve to continue to do so. I know I owe this to myself and to my voice.

5) Rest and sleep: I really love my bed and I say it aloud pretty much every night when I climb into it. It’s a pretty cozy affair that I like to keep made up with soft flannel sheets, lots of pillows and my old teddy bear. In the vast, dry desert of life’s depleting stresses, my bed is an oasis of comfort and rest. One third of our lives are spent in sleep where we find oblivion and absolution from the pains and trials of our days. Beds are a place of naked comfort and intimacy, rest from work and needed restorative sleep… and for me it’s also a place of learning, reflection and creation. I do most of my voracious reading or agonized writing wrapped in my blankets or one of my furry bathrobes while I’m curled up in bed with my laptop. This is a happy place, a safe space, a place where every day comes to die its relieved and timely death and where I am reborn each morning to face the promise of a new day. Good sleep involves making sure I’ve done everything else on this list first so that I can come to bed happily depleted and knowing that I gave life my all: a satisfied spirit and a tired body are the best soporifics. Practicing good sleep hygiene in going to bed at the same time, to have a quieting end-of-day routine, unplugging from my devices and winding down also help to prepare my body and spirit for bed is also necessary for replenishing sleep. A good bed and good shoes are two things I will always spend hard money on because I spend so much time in them and I know I need their comfort and support to do life well. I’ve placed sleep at the end of this list as it comes at the end of the day, but it is truly foundational for the achievement of everything else I do. We need the physical replenishment of sleep for our bodies to self-repair, and for our minds to unplug and subconsciously process our daily experiences in dreams. We need the daily mental and spiritual time-out from facing the onslaught of challenges we face as spiritual beings in a human experience. One of my favorite fictional characters, Jason Bourne (of Robert Ludlum’s Bourne Trilogy & Matt Damon’s cinematic character adaptation) was a spy on the run from assassins and when he found himself unable to advance further in many situations, he often resorted to sleep with the belief that “sleep is a weapon” to be wielded against the challenges we face. I resolve to keep my sleep weapon well-sharpened and my body well-rested for whatever crazy unknowns life may bring my way.

Rest for our bodies and our souls is essential to physically, mentally and spiritually equip us to face the daily struggles of life on a broken planet, and I am grateful for the changes in my circumstances that have caused me to reprioritize restfulness in my own life. I wish my fellow travelers strength, joy and peace along your journeys and I hope you found value in my resolutions for my own restful path to health and well-being.