Sacred Rest
Apologies for the lack of Monday Muse this week. I got struck down with the C‘rona so I’m spending a lot of time curled up on the couch bemoaning my inability to do much of anything except watch Love Island UK and nap.
I’m grumpy at this interruption. I haven’t been to the gym in a week. My progress on my book has gone from a sprint to a limp. I’m missing out on some fun social things I’d had planned this week.
However, it seems a good time to remind myself, and maybe you, that rest is sacred for the creative. We’re not made to be productive all the time. Our creativity is not the horse in Animal Farm, and if we don’t ever give it a rest we’ll end up at the glue factory of burn out.
When I first started meditating, someone told me an adage: If you’re busy, you should meditate for the amount of time you think you can’t spare. I’ve also heard it that you should meditate for 15 minutes a day if you’re not busy. If you are busy, you should meditate for an hour.
The busier you are, the more recovery you need.
This round of covid is following what was a pretty busy week last week. Bouchercon was in town, and I spent four days socializing, running around town, and drinking more than usual. This follows weeks of hitting the gym 6 days a week, writing every day, and classes starting.
I’m not saying I was wrong to be busy. I’m not blaming exhaustion for the virus. But maybe I need to take advantage of the down time to recharge before I begin a new sprint. Read some fun books. Eat healthy food. Nap and nap and nap.
This way when I’m healthy again, I’ll be not only well-rested but also eager to get back to work. Like an arrow that’s been knocked and pulled back—the backward momentum will make me move faster once I’m released.
My hope for you is that you don’t have to come down with a nasty virus in order to observe some sacred rest. You don’t have to be sick for a week in order to indulge in some creative restoration. You can sip it instead of gulping it—a Sunday nap, giving yourself a day off without feeling guilty, treating yourself to a massage.
It feels like rest is harder to come by these days, but I think you’ll find that taking time to recharge will make you more productive.
Until next week.
-The Messy Muse