When was the last time you took a nap?
I mean, a really, nice, long, I-don’t-have-to-get- up-for-anything-kind-of nap. If you can’t remember when that was, go lie down right now. Seriously.
I have a hard time giving myself permission to rest, even though I know it’s the secret ingredient to health. That’s why I got all excited when I learned I could rest while driving, while eating, while talking, while moving (and not endanger others).
It’s a method invented by Dan Howard, and it’s very simple (but like a lot of things, not that easy).
Let’s say you have a headache.
Take a deep breath and repeat (while breathing) “I’m resting for my head.” You can also say, “I’m resting into my head.” Use whatever phrase feels best to you and repeat as long as you can.
I cured a migraine with this method and I do it whenever I feel stress or tension creep up on me. If there’s a difficult part to this, it’s remembering to do it when you feel anxious or stressed. Stress has become such a commonplace feeling that it’s challenging to identify when we’re in the middle of it.
The act of resting, rather than forcing yourself to relax or trying to distract yourself from the pain, is the very thing that helps you free your body from it.
Resting is a deep form of acceptance. It’s you saying, “I’ve worked hard, and I can’t do anything more to fix this problem than rest right now.” It’s you giving up your struggle to achieve, accomplish, and act. It’s your body saying, “Now, it’s my turn. Let me heal.”
Now, go rest.
