Take a Break

While working on this month’s post, I am taking a much-needed “rest” weekend. I am not talking about spending the weekend doing nothing but sleeping, I am simply changing up my weekend activities and letting my body rest and recover from strenuous activities.

Downtime is important for everyone, especially if you have a disability or a minor injury. Rest is an important part of the rhythm of life. A lot of things are happening when we slow our bodies and brains down.

• Our body heals
• Our energy levels recharge
• Our brains refocus

After my accident, I learned the importance of taking breaks to let my body and brain recover from daily activities. My brain was in the process of healing from my accident and needed more time to recover.

The creative life can be just as overwhelming as a physically active life. The creative process has different stages; most of the “work” is done in our brains. Before we even write the first word our bodies need rest.

Rest

As a gym rat, I understand that the workout is accomplished by getting adequate sleep and rest. An exhausted body and brain cannot perform at 100%. For over a decade now I have incorporated “rest” days, weeks, and weekends into my exercise routine.

These allow my body to heal and recover from my vigorous workout routines. They also keep me from getting burned out in my fitness goals. I always feel better and more focused in the gym, after I’ve taken time away. This principle applies to a lot more than just health goals.

Writer’s Life

We writers can also benefit from taking breaks from being creatively productive, not extended time away, because then we just procrastinate getting back to work. But enough time to let our minds rest and recharge.

After this year’s Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers’ conference, I felt overwhelmed and unable to focus. The intensive week-long training drains my creative juices. So I decided to take a mental break before jumping into my writing projects.

Writer’s conferences can be both physically and mentally demanding, then there’s the emotional aspect. It’s like a week long crash-study course we experience while meeting new friends and catching up with old ones.

All the while most writers tend not to get enough sleep during the conference. I am a big proponent of getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep every night, which is an essential function of living a healthy life. Below are some of the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep:

1. Aids in weight loss.
2. Improves concentration and productivity.
3. Can maximize athletic performance.
4. Strengthens the heart.
5. Helps sugar metabolism and lowers type II diabetes risk
6. Lowers risk of depression.
7. Strengthens immune system.
8. Lowers risk of inflammation
9. Improves emotions and social interaction.
10. Increases alertness.

Clearly, breaks and rest help our bodies and brains function better. Studies even show that lack of sleep can impair creative thinking. Less sleep is a cause of poor memory and inability to focus, leaving individuals more prone to making mistakes.

Although we are all living busy lives, neglecting time to sleep and rest doesn’t aid in increasing production and often does more harm than good. As writers, we are goal-oriented and need to focus on getting things done.

Get It Done

People who know me, have witnessed how frustrated and irritable I get when I don’t get a good night’s sleep. Due to my brain injury, there are times I have a hard time focusing and need to disconnect to be able to think clearly.

Persons with brain injuries need to protect their times of rest, below are common ways we can take a break during the day to rest.

• Short walks
• Meditate
• Quiet time alone
• Eat a snack
• Naps

Personally, I don’t like taking naps or even laying down too long during the day, because it messes up my circadian rhythm and I cannot sleep at night. I may lean back and close my eyes or just daydream, but nothing more.

Power walks are my favorite way to rest because I get outside and get fresh air and are where I take my breaks.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.