Take a raisin. Before eating it, look at it carefully. Feel its relief to the touch, the wrinkles it forms, the flashes of color it emits when you place it against the light or the softness and sponginess when you press it lightly. Take a minimum of five minutes to be fully aware of what you have between your fingers. When you've done that, then you can eat it. Of course: again with the calm and enjoyment that it deserves. When you finish, you will have successfully performed one of the simplest and most effective physical and mental relaxation exercises that exist.
"Raisins are the favorite food of mindfulness teachers." Acclaimed British psychologist Claudia Hammond begins the first chapter of her book The Art of Rest, How to find breath in the modern age with this sentence. Author of informative titles such as Mind over Money or The Keys to Kindness, she is one of the world's leading experts in the study of how human beings have cornered spaces and exercises for rest and disconnection over the last few years.
“Being busy and stressed has almost become a badge of honor and a sign of high status. Scientific studies have shown that we see busier people as more successful”, Hammond explains.
In 2015, the English psychologist participated in an interdisciplinary research project on rest at the prestigious Wellcome Collection in London. Under the name of Hubbub, she dedicated herself to discovering what generated the greatest sense of disconnection and mental recovery in people. Taking advantage of her status as editor of two BBC radio programs -All in mind and Health Check-, she launched a macro survey that was answered by more than 18,000 listeners from 135 different countries. "It's the largest study on rest to date." The result was that two out of three people recognized that they did not rest adequately.
Although many detractors of this general lack of rest allude to the fact that the human species worked much more before than now, Hammond clarifies that “many people throughout human history have had little rest and have been forced to work hard. The difference now is that many of the stresses and pressures we feel are mental, not physical."
According to the specialist, this change in trend has become much more pronounced in recent years. “In previous centuries, if you were rich, you spent a lot of time in leisure activities. In fact, people aspired to be idle. Today, even billionaires use their social networks to brag about how busy they are, jumping from one thing to another. Rest is no longer valued or celebrated.”
The most surprising thing among the ten most popular practices among those surveyed is that there are no activities such as spending time with our pets, taking care of the garden or doing any type of craft. Among the most popular, on the other hand, are some such as the practice of mindfulness, taking a hot water bath in winter, taking a walk down the street or watching television.
The latter, although it may seem contradictory, is one of the practices in which the majority of respondents feel more calm, especially those who have a very busy life. “To be honest, television is the expression of culture that I enjoy the most and also the way to disconnect that works best for me,” says Hammond.
In the top five of the most chosen options in the survey carried out by the group of experts, is listening to music, being alone, spending time in nature or doing nothing in particular. Of course, everyone agrees that what provides greater rest and disconnection is the practice of reading.
“We never found time for it, but still most people agree that it's the best way to really take a breather. To achieve it, my advice is: find the time for it. Disconnect from everything around you, turn off your phone and really immerse yourself in a good read”, points out the also author of Time Warped, winner of the British Psychological Society's Book Awards 2013 in the popular science category. "Not only will you achieve a better quality of life, but it will also make you a more empathetic and kind person."
Another very useful practice when I ask you for a fast and short-term method is to “reduce future commitments”. As the British psychologist explained to La Vanguardia, we tend to think that in the future we will have more free time than at present, but this is not the case. “We overcommit ourselves both at work and in leisure activities. If you're busy now, chances are you'll be just as busy in a few months. So say 'no' more often. Pick and select more carefully and leave some blank spaces in your schedule.”
Rest should not be confused with sleep. Although there is also a general deficit of the latter, the concept of being able to disconnect is linked to those active activities that serve to relax the body and mind. The key, moreover, is to know what induces this rest in oneself and provides the necessary calm. “The first step is to figure out what makes you feel the most rested and relaxed and make sure you find time to do it regularly, ideally at least once a day.”
Hammond explains that even the shortest breaks can have a very positive effect on both a personal and professional level. “A study in Japan showed that even micro-breaks of less than a minute, if taken regularly, significantly help with problem solving and productivity. It's a win-win for both the boss and the worker – good business leaders know it's essential today.”
Although the fact of resting in the business world is not yet widespread as it should be, there are other spheres in which it has been practiced for a long time. “Writers and other creative people have known this for a long time. If that line from a poem or song just doesn't come, walk away for a while. Forget it. Then when you come back fresh, inspiration will often strike. Let's apply it to the rest of the world's jobs."
