Rest: Transforming perception from vulnerability to resilience
Rest.
What is this thing you speak of? And how do we do it?
The sports world around me doesn’t know this language. And I fear it’s because we (the adults in the room- parents, coaches, mentors, etc.) haven’t taught it. How can I tell?
If I scroll on my socials I’ll see everyone doing the opposite of rest. I see working. Grit. Grinding. Coaches pushing athletes. Athletes pushing themselves. Parents posting the results of the effort. Glorifying the hard. The grit. The grind.
And listen, I get it. I’m a big believer in needing those things to improve in our craft. But I also believe that within the list of all the words associated with what makes a great athlete…great? We should include another… rest.
There are two types of rest:
Unintentional Rest: A spontaneous moment of relaxation.
I’m not good at unintentional rest if I’m being honest. I had a free morning pop up and told myself I could go back to sleep after getting the kids ready for school. I went into my bedroom. Laid in my bed. And instead of closing my eyes and allowing myself time to recover from a busy life? I thought about all the things I “should” be doing. None of them included the word rest. And so did I? Nope. I laid in my own thoughts of guilt. Shame. Not once did a thought pop up that allowed me space to recharge my battery that I so desperately need.
&
Intentional Rest: Deliberately scheduled relaxation.
I had a mindset consulting session with an athlete who is struggling with their body. This athlete’s body isn’t allowing them to do the things that they need to in order to perform at the highest level. They know they can compete. They’ve done it. With the best of the best. They ARE the best of the best. But the effects of the grind continue to leave this athlete utterly depleted with physical symptoms of stress and exhaustion in the wake of such high levels of competition in both games and practices. So we met to see how we could get this athlete back. And the answer isn’t the one they wanted to hear. But, I believe, the one we need.
Rest is not a want. Rest is a need.
Allowing space to listen to the body. Listen to the alarms it’s sounding. It’s talking for a reason. But the reasons can be hard. The alarms are sometimes (oftentimes) scary. We would rather do anything but sit with them. But in this space of intentional rest where we allow ourselves time to be curious? THIS is where we unlock potential within ourselves.
My fear is that we’ve lost the art of resting. My hope is that some strong adults can stand up for this space and speak life into it for the sake of our future athletes (human?!) physical and mental well being. Unlocking potential we’ve got locked up due to overall overworked bodies and underworked minds. Transforming the perception from vulnerability to resilience.
Because it’s in this space of intentional and unintentional rest that humans gather resilience. Real strength for their journey.
Real strength to handle the hard. The effort. The grind.
Rest.
In Your Corner,
Nikki
