• facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
InspireHealth
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission, Vision, & Values
      • Strategic Plan 2020-2024
    • What We Do
    • Our Team
      • Join our Team
    • Board of Directors & Advisors
    • Partners
    • Founders
    • Reports
  • Programs
    • Class Schedules
    • Get Started
    • Our Approach
    • Programs
    • Clinical Services
    • Classes
  • Online Classes
    • Online Schedule
    • Online Centre Overview
    • Online Meditation
  • News & Events
    • A Night to Inspire 2020
    • COVID-19 Update
    • In the News
    • Events Calendar
    • Rain Walk
    • Past Events
      • A Night to Inspire 2019 – Vancouver Highlights
      • InspireHealth Rain Walk 2019
      • A Night to Inspire – Vancouver – 2018
      • A Night to Inspire – Victoria – 2018
    • Supporters
    • Honours and Awards
  • Resources
    • Research Updates
    • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Leaflets & Posters
    • Guide References
    • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Locations
    • Volunteer
  • Donate
    • Make A Donation
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Legacy Giving
    • Gifts in Kind
    • Why Donate?
    • Become a Society Member
    • Become a Partner of InspireHealth
    • Purchase the Cookbook ‘Inspired Cooking’

Blog

  • Your path to better health Get Started
  • Support InspireHealth Donate
> Blog > The Gift of Rest
InspireHealth

The Gift of Rest

December 4, 2020 General

“How shall I live?”

This is a question that has been asked by many contemplative writers, spiritual leaders and philosophers throughout the ages. This question is also asked by many people after receiving a diagnosis of cancer.

There are many ways to answer this question. In fact, since every one of us is different and unique, there are infinite answers to this question. Some might choose nutrition, some exercise, some healthy communication, some all of these, as their focus when addressing this question. However, one element seems to weave a common thread. We will explore this element in some depth in this article. The common element is: Rest. We may well begin to ask, “How shall I rest?”

Very often, people share with us their desire to ‘slow down’, to ‘practice self-care’, to ‘rest more’. But what does this mean? What does this look like? It is difficult or even impossible to rest when we don’t necessarily have a definition to work from, other than a picture in our minds of spending more time in bed or booking a vacation. Unless we have a working definition of what rest means, and until we have a felt sense of how important rest is to us, we may well ask for some support to figure out how rest might look in our life and how it might benefit us. There are many ways to rest and we all need to learn to rest. Worded another way, we need to unlearn our habit of creating full-to-overflowing lives.

Why We Might Resist Resting: Some Obstacles…

Some equate resting with being unworthy, ’not good enough’, ’can’t cut it’, ‘giving up’, admitting defeat. When contemplating prioritizing rest, some imagine criticism from family, friends, co-workers or community. Some feel guilty. Some associate rest with being sick or getting sicker. When resting, some feel uncomfortable, undeserving, selfish or unproductive. It is a heart-breaking and sorry state of affairs that we, as a culture, view resting as something we only do when we are ‘old’, ‘sick’ or ‘burnt out’.

Resting takes intention and practice. Resting also requires courage because thoughts such as, “I’m going to slow down” or “I know that I need to rest” fly in the face of internalized and societal pressures and norms such as pushing on, being productive, performing, or trying to live up to an unattainable standard of productivity and ‘having-it-all-together’.

Our Body-Mind Needs Rest and Knows How to Rest

There is a part of our nervous system, called the sympathetic nervous system, that is responsible for our stress response (‘fight, flight and/or freeze’). Our stress response is almost continually activated as we try to live up to our own and society’s unattainable standards. The balancing part of our nervous system, known as the parasympathetic nervous system, is responsible for helping us to rest, digest and heal. Our parasympathetic response is not a ‘nice-to- have’… it’s a ‘must-have’ … for our survival. Not resting, and being regularly in fight, flight or freeze mode, has many consequences. We need to experience restful states to not only digest our food, but to digest our experiences, our feelings, our emotions, our inspirations, intentions and plans.

 “How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterward.” — Spanish Proverb

Doing nothing, as the Spanish Proverb encourages, is one definition, one way to rest. There are many ways to rest. Here are some examples.

More traditional forms of rest would include: sleeping, napping, restorative practices such as meditation, yoga nidra, praying. Some find movement restful; some find baths or long showers restful. Others might find art and music restful. Many people value the restorative support of time spent in nature. Some find a resting place in community, some prefer solitude. Less obvious ways to rest would include giving oneself permission not to be helpful, taking a break from responsibility and/or being ‘unproductive’ ‘lazy’.

With the darker, colder days of late fall and winter, comes an invitation from nature to slow down, to rest and to hibernate.

During the holiday season, let’s give ourselves the gift of rest.

Blog

  • Research Update – January 2021
    Jan 05, 2021

    Russo, E., Nannini, G., Diny, M., et al. Exploring the food-gut axis in immunotherapy response

  • The Benefits of Movement
    Jan 05, 2021

    ‘A new year’…three words, one sentence. Thinking about the upcoming year, we may notice a

  • The Gift of Rest
    Dec 04, 2020

    “How shall I live?” This is a question that has been asked by many contemplative

Let’s Get Social

inspirehealthbc

Supportive Cancer Care organization in BC, Canada. Programs & services to enhance quality of life, health & well-being of people living with cancer.

InspireHealth
We invite you to take time this weekend to smile, We invite you to take time this weekend to smile, breathe and go slowly. #weekendquotes #quoteoftheday
.
.
.
.
.
.
#inspirehealth #inspiredaily #cancercare #cancersupport #physicalhealth #mentalhealth #emotionalhealth #mindful #mindfulness #smile #breathe #goslow #stressreliever #stressmanagement #heal #healing #weekendquote #takeiteasy
✨ Youth Workshop Announcement ✨ On Saturday, ✨ Youth Workshop Announcement ✨ 

On Saturday, January 30th, InspireHealth Clinical Counsellor, Genevieve Stonebridge, will be conducting a mindfulness workshop @yacancercanada Young Adult Cancer Canada's (YACC) 2021 SURVIVOR CONFERENCE: CHILL. 
 
"Observe Not Obsess: Mindfully Exploring your Emotions" will explore how by building self-awareness, we can learn ways to communicate, self-soothe, and regulate our emotions. And, explore how to be with feelings in a mindful way.

If you or someone you know is a youth with cancer or supporter (aged 18-39), please join us, share this post, or tag a friend. ⠀
⁠⠀
Register for #YACCSC21 at https://distanttarn.com/

Learn more about the conference at https://www.youngadultcancer.ca/program/survivor-conference/
.
.
.
.
.
.
#inspirehealth #inspiredaily #cancercare #cancersupport #cancer #cancerworkshop #mindfulness #cancersurvivor #conference #youngadults #youthcancer #youngadultscancer #cancercanada #cancerbc #cancerprofessionals #cancerhelp #ayacancer #youngadultcancer #yacancer #ayacsm
Sunrise over rolling clouds. #meditativemoment #m Sunrise over rolling clouds. 
#meditativemoment #mindfulmoments
.
.
.
.
.
.
#inspirehealth #inspiredaily #cancersupport #cancercare #meditation #meditate #peace #peaceful #sunrise #sun #sunshine #clouds #fog #nature #tranquil #tranquility #calm #calmness #serene #serenity #mindful #mindfulness #relax #relaxation #relaxed #stillness #innerpeace
There are many sources of ‘externally-created’ There are many sources of ‘externally-created’ stress in our lives, especially during these restrictive times. 

For example, our increased exposure to mass media can unconsciously sap our energy and have negative impacts on our lifestyle.

Fortunately, there are some simple solutions that we can use:

* Be discerning about what we choose to watch and read
* Read books and articles that celebrate human nature
* Remove ourselves from negative TV and social media imagery
* Spend socially distant/online time with those we enjoy

Let's be sure to watch for and minimize our external stressors. Most of us can be unaware of the degree to which we are affected by them.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#inspirehealth #inspiredaily #cancercare #cancersupport #cancer #cancercanada #bccancer #stress #stressreliever #stressrelief #massmedia #media #socialmedia #takeabreak #positiveenergy #goodnews #selfcare #healthandwellness #takecareofyourself #takecare #mentalhealth #positivemindset #positivethinking #positivethoughts #positivevibes #positivity #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness #mentalwellness
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Newsletter Sign-up



InspireHealth Newsletter
Stay connected with updates, health tips, recipes, and stories
Online Programs
Get weekly reminders with links to our online classes
Research Updates
Get up to date research from our specialists

Inspired Health
  • Get Started
    your path to better health

  • Donate
    support InspireHealth

  • About Us
  • Programs
  • Get Started
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy: Patient Information
  • Newsletters
  • Founders
  • Privacy Policy: Donor Information
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Research
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube

Charitable Registration Number #108 103 920 RR0001 Call us: 604.734.7125 or Toll Free 1.888.734.7125

© 2021 InspireHealth. All rights reserved. Site design by SWCA