Revolutionize Your Routine with Radical Rest

(air whooshing) (computer mouse clicks) (gentle upbeat music) Headspace Studios. (gentle upbeat music) Hi, there. Welcome to Radio Headspace, to Thursday and to this new moment, it's Dora. So a student of mine recently asked me about finding the balance between resting and going after the life that you desire. And this is something I've been thinking about as well. What is the balance? And is the balance even possible? What sacrifices do we make when we decide to rest? And why does resting have to be a sacrifice in the first place? His exact question was, "Do you think it's possible "to truly care for ourselves "and also be productive professionals? "How can we realistically afford the lifestyles we desire "without striving or sacrificing rest?" And here's the thing. In this day and age, rest is a radical and revolutionary thing to do. We live in a time where productivity, focus and constant movement is highly valued. Tricia Hersey, also known as the Nap Bishop, writes so candidly about rest as resistance and a counter narrative to the dominant story. And this is why finding and taking time to rest can make us feel so guilty. If we're living in a society where our worth is dictated by how much we do and how hard you work, we're bound to struggle with prioritizing rest. I've been there before many times. When I first started hosting community events, I would often talk about self-care and its importance. At the time, I was a nursing student enrolled in six classes, working two jobs, and building a growing community. After the first year of doing this, I quickly realized how important it was for me to be prioritizing rest, not only for its physical benefits, but also because I had a sense of responsibility to my community to show up as my best self and also being integrity with what I was teaching. This was also the first time I had realized how sometimes we do need to sacrifice other parts of our lives in order to rest and replenish ourselves. For some reason, I didn't feel guilty about it, but I think I just knew it was a part of a bigger purpose. It wasn't just for myself, it was for my community. So how do we care for ourselves while trying to be a productive professional? How can we afford the life we desire without sacrificing rest? It's important to check in with your intention. Most of the time, we aren't on our time, we're on the timeline of others. If we can take a moment to step back and ask, "Why are you after the things you're after? "Is this lifestyle truly something you desire "or just what you're expected to desire "due to societal pressures or cultural norms?" For me, I had and still have an intention to be in service to humanity. And resting is one of the ways that I can do that. It's also important to...