The Mind Needs Rest

I have always have confidence on how much information my mind can hold. It is not because of its capacity, rather due to innate grit personality and enormous interest to learn as much information as I can. This effort for me will lead change for myself and for the society as well if I use these information well. However, since I am well-motivated to learn further, this has lead me to take things simultaneously which  makes me push myself to its limits and possibly to exhaustion.

This blogpost will concentrate on three questions one must ask oneself regarding the need for resting one's mind like the body requires it too. This is because an unrested mind affects the way one feels and functions; and as new researches show the power of the mind, an exhausted mind makes future vague and more challenging since one's thoughts influence the way we take in the future. Therefore, it is a must to pause for awhile and make a self-awareness on three essential questions about providing our mind adequate intermittent rest.

When can one say rest is needed?

Just like a mobile phone, one has to free the mind of information and allow it to "rest". Futhermore, like a phone the mind has its lags that gives the indication that it requires rest. By saying "mind lags", these are in the form of inefficiency that increases the risks of mistakes in activities of daily living and worse hampers one's ability for judgment and decision-making.

It is quite subjective to determine in which period one needs mind rest. One must objectively assess oneself whether the same functioning and performance is provided at work, home and personal life. Should one discovers a deviation from the normal, then one must be aware of the possible reasons, which may include rest-thirsty mind. Moreover, an objective way to distinguish this need is to utilize handy mobile applications to monitor and arrange daily tasks. In this method, one could see the surge of demands and tasks that make use of our mind.

How long should rest be?

This question is difficult as it seems for there are two factors to consider here, namely the availability of free time and the amount of workload the mind needs to attend to at a given time. Firstly, even how much one desires to take rest as long as possible, it may not be possible considering work and various responsibilities one have. Thus, it is important to allocate and consciously be aware that certain period must be considered rest periods. By saying rest periods, one must take only mind tasks that are simple, convenient and pleasurable for the mind to do.

Since the mind works continuously, it is not even realistic to cease the mind from thinking. However, what can do is either limit the amount of mind workload or utilize a system that aids the mind to prioritize and efficiently arrange tasks. This system eases the mind of planning both important and daily tasks, which consumes the mind and even results to confusion and exhaustion. By easing the mind, the mind is no longer strained to remember what needs to be done, rather it will just focus on how to do things effectively to a desired output and quality. Therefore, the mind can variably rest in few hours to days depending on the two mentioned factors.

How can adequate rest for the mind be achieved?

A person must ask what mind tasks are considered tough, difficult and unwanted. From this list, one can identify the measures on how to rest the mind by avoiding what are included in the list. Watching TV, eating, engaging in social media, sleeping, talking to relatives and friends, going for a short walk or perhaps a short vacation in a nearby tourist destinatiom are not identified tough and complicated for the mind. In fact, these activities can be time-comsuming but the mind does not notice doing these activities. These may provoke a lazy attitude but certainly can be healthy for the mind in the midst of a busy schedule.

Furthermore, the mind must be "emptied" at regular times. Although literally, it is not possible to empty the mind, one must attempt release prevailing worries, anxieties feelings and certain thoughts that cloud one for a significant duration of time. A conversation with a relaxed, open confidant can be very helpful, but maybe perceived as risky since it involves trust with the confidant. Moreover, writing a diary, reflection or a blog like this aids as one can control both what to share and not in the social media. By writing, one can synthesize, analyze and evaluate the situation one is experiencing. In this way, a realization, idea or perhaps a good decision result addressing the primary mind-stressing problem at hand.

Lastly, like pampering and taking care of our beauty and body, it is crucial for one to hold a healthy mind, as well. It is the mind that sets where one is going in life, what actions to take and how things are to be planned and implemented. Thus, ensuring the mind is not preoccupied means a lot, not just for oneself, but also the society that benefits from the person having a good, well-rested effective mind.

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