Rest Is Not Less Work; It’s No Work

Some days you just need a break. Your brain is overloaded, and you no longer function effectively and intelligently. Ok, you are no longer functioning at all, just going through the motions.

Your brain fatigues, like your muscles and your eyes. Cognitive function declines and tasks take longer than they should. We understand muscle fatigue, we get headaches from eye fatigue. But we don’t recognize when our brain is fatigued. Poor nutrition and lack of oxygen, among other things, will slow the brain down.

When it seems that there is no time to finish all the tasks that you have to do, that’s the best time to take a break. Grab a snack, vacate the chair, and get out of your current circumstances. Sometimes, a small break refreshes you brain, and you come back to your work revived.

Sometimes, you need a bigger break, a vacation. You need a break from people, commitment, and your regular routine. Do something different, explore somewhere new even if it’s only your neighborhood. Look at the architecture, admire the gardens. Find the oldest car on the block.

Do something novel: Go for a walk, hike through the zoo, or lace up some boots and try ice skating. Anything out of your normal routine will work. Life should not be so predicable. It’s what our brain wants (for us to be totally predicable and boring), but it isn’t any good for our curiosity, our interests, our joy in life.

Keep changing, keep exploring, keep moving forward. Standing still is moving you backward, because the rest of the world is moving forward.

And keep Aging Intelligently.