Rest – at times a throwaway word – we know we need it, we think we probably need more, but ask us to define it and it’s qualities, things become more difficult – case in point I woke up from a lay in this morning, and said “oh, I must have needed the rest” – but what did I mean? What makes something restful? Why does this vary from person to person? What rest did I need?
The author has been part of a research programme into rest, and this book is loosely based around the research findings, taking the top ten activities which people reported as being their go to rest activity, and looking at them in more detail, exploring their nature, effectiveness, people’s experiences and culture around them. Restful activity covered include mindfulness, watching television, day dreaming, hot bath, walking, doing nothing in particular, listening to music, time alone, time in nature and reading – quite a variety!
The tone is readable and practical, a reasonable amount of detail but without getting bogged down.
On one level there’s nothing earth shattering in the writing, on the other hand it’s useful to see a review of what people find restful, why, the spectrum of approaches, and to reflect on your own ways to find rest; and this is perhaps the books biggest advantage – helping the reader to focus and reflect on their own attitudes to rest and implicitly work / life balance.
Worth a read, especially if working on life balance is on your 2020 agenda.
The Art of Rest can be bought on Amazon, and if you use this link Yinspire makes a small commission
