The Need Of Resting: Your Health Matters Too

Rest is not for the weak

During our high school days, in one of our economics classes, we were taught about the "law of diminishing return" and after a while, I realized that this law does not only govern economics but is also expressed even in the human body. You will agree with me that when you engage continuously in labour-intensive tasks without taking time to rest, a time will come when your output will begin to plummet instead of increasing.

If you have ever observed closely at your level of productivity when you are still full of strength (probably in the early hours of the day) and compare it with when you are tired (at the end of the day), you will realize that the former holds more productivity. This is the reason resting should not be optional but a mandate if you need to recharge your strength.

Rest should be something that comes naturally and willingly and if refused to take it willingly, nature will force you to take it and you know what it means. Resting is like the dues that you owe to both yourself and to nature and you have to pay it.

Many people tend to put in more than their physical strength can carry in their work. Well, just to remind you that, firstly, you are not the guardian of the galaxy. Secondly, no matter the position you occupy, you can be replaced. You will be surprised to know that if anything happens to you in the course of working tirelessly, the only thing that will remain will be your memory but you will be replaced quickly.

When you have this in mind, you will understand that nothing (not even your work) is worth sacrificing your life for, so rest when you need to. As much as rest is good for your health, it is also good for your productivity. Employers have so much understood this that they have included "annual leave" in their policy.

The reason your employers give you leave is not because they love you or that they want to see you go but because they know that when you take a long rest, you will come back and become better at the task and become more productive and that is what they want for the growth of the organization. If they understand this, then why not you?

I remember one of our physics practicals in high school that involved elastic string. When loads were added to the string, it kept stretching until it got to the elastic limit. When an extra load was added at that point, it stretched beyond its limit and reached its breaking point. In the same way, the human physical body has a limit which it can go without cracking under stress and strain. Pushing yourself to a point beyond your limit will result in breakdown and you will be forced the take the rest, and most times, the hard way.

Have you ever used your mobile device for one week straight without recharging it and without leaving it to rest? If you try it, it may become faulty. Similarly, many of the health challenges that people face can be linked to stress and lack of rest. The whole world is getting more active that even rest is now seen as luxury. This is not meant to be so because rest itself is therapeutic both to the body and the mind. So always know when to rest.

Thanks for reading