Rest your body and mind, enjoy a deep and restorative sleep, a little silence and a few hours of solitude ... All this is almost a luxury nowadays; however it is also necessary for health.
Written and verified by the psychologist GetPersonalGrowth.
Last update: 15 November 2021
Silence and rest are two precious and endangered assets. They are a luxury, a gift, which we sometimes give ourselves when our obligations and commitments allow it. However, far from being a whim, they are instead two fundamental needs for our well-being and, above all, for mental balance.
Ovid argued that any life in which there is no rest soon vanishes. The truth is that the famous Roman poet was not all wrong, because beyond what one might think, the lack of rest and living in stressful and too stimulating environments undermine our health and negatively affect the quality of life.
Most of us usually live immersed in situations where a constant cacophony reigns: traffic, conversations, cars, airplanes, trains, televisions and even the constant rustle of our computer processors. This gives rise to an incessant state of hyperactivity, capable of altering our mood, generating irritation, fatigue, loss of concentration ...
The strangest aspect of all this is that we have become accustomed to this reality. We tell ourselves that it is the right thing to do, that this is the rhythm of today's society and that, therefore, we must adapt. In this accelerated and hyper-connected, and even sleep-deprived world, we have made silence and rest two luxury goods that are no longer within everyone's reach.
"Rest belongs to work, like lids to eyes."
-Rabindranath Tagore-
Silence and rest, nutrients for the brain
Death from overwork is a reality. And although there is not yet an Italian name to define it, other countries that have long been accustomed to this reality have given it a name. In Japan it is karoshi, in China guolaosi and in Korea gwarosa. For these populations where the lifestyle is dictated by the rhythms of industry, trade and more generally productivity, silence and rest are not only a luxury, but increasingly rare.
But lack of sleep and stress aren't directly killing. What is really happening in these countries is a considerable increase in suicide rates. The exhaustion and despair are so strong that many people see no other solution to their personal reality and choose the more dramatic path. If we stay in the West, however, the situation changes a bit.
In Europe and America there are no relevant data linking work overload to suicide, but rather to illness cardiovascular and at high rates of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia… According to industry experts, such as Dr. Michael Roizen, Director of the Cleveland Wellness Clinic, “Today's rest is the most underestimated health habit”.
The brain needs calm and silence
We know that the lingering noise and incessant sounds of our cities undermine health and mood. A study published in 1975 in the journal Environment and Behavior already claimed that children studying in areas of Manhattan near subway tracks were nearly a year late in school. The data are certainly significant.
In addition to external sounds, however, there is also another type of murmuring that affects our well-being: the obsessive pounding of our thoughts, worries, goals to achieve, "should and must". This noise is also unhealthy and deprives us of calm.
Silence and rest take the form of two vital antidotes able to modulate the brain so that it can achieve harmony and that the mind reconciles and is in tune with its most authentic essence.
Silence and rest: sleep is a luxury that we do less and less
Perhaps we find it a bit difficult to relate lack of sleep to drunkenness. However, a study published by Dr. David Geffen of the University of Los Angeles, California points out that not sleeping has the same effect on the brain as alcohol. Our neurons stop communicating effectively, errors occur, problems with concentration, performance, mood swings, irritability, depression ...
The psychological effects of sleep deprivation are enormous, however we continue to overlook this aspect. We do this with our lifestyle, with electronic devices and the blue light of their screens, which stimulates the brain and prevents us from falling asleep. At the same time, the work and worries that we take to bed also deprive us of the rest necessary for the health of the body and the brain.
Quiet and rest are two words that are turning into a business for many companies. So much so that on the market we already find from sleep masks that monitor our brain waves and the REM phase, hi-tech capsules to take a nap at work, spas and sleep centers that promise to take us into Morfeo's arms in a few minutes.
Let us therefore avoid reaching these extremes and become aware of a very simple aspect: rest is life; in a world immersed in incessant noises, external and internal, silence is health. Let's remember it.
