The One Where I Ask You To Consider Rest

We are *still* in the midst of a global pandemic. Every day, news, social media, family remind us to stay safe, eat well, to be healthy. We can’t step out of our homes without a nagging fear of the worst. We can’t meet our friends. We can’t go out. We can’t talk to anyone without talking about the world outside and that conversation is tinged with a sense of sadness/fear/anger/sympathy or all the above all at once.

For a while now, wherever I looked I saw posts and memes about how this is the best time to be productive. A particularly disturbing one said “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with either: 1.) a new skill 2.) starting what you’ve been putting off like a new business 3.) more knowledge You didn’t ever lack the time, you lacked the discipline.” and it was on every platform conceivable. From Facebook to Instagram and to LinkedIn.

I saw it again today and that’s when I decided to write this. It’s a drop in an ocean, but sometimes that’s enough. You don’t need to be productive. You don’t need to come out with a new skill, or hobby, or knowledge. You need to rest. Body, mind, and soul. To use this time how you deem fit. How you deem right for your mental health.

This quarantine isn’t a race towards being superhuman, instead, it’s about recognizing that we are indeed normal and ordinary and that we need to take time to recoup. This pandemic should serve as a reminder that we are social beings who thrive in the company of love and safety.  This should be a reminder to be kinder to ourselves and our planet. This is a reminder to pause and look within.

You need to rest. You (and I) are not in a race against each other or against anyone else. Different people cope differently. It doesn’t make any of us lesser or more. No one knows someone else’s story, everyone is facing this pandemic in a different situation, emotionally and physically. So even if you go onto social media and see others being “productive” it doesn’t mean you’re not. Don’t get caught up in this toxic overworked culture of making every moment “productive”. Rest up, take breaks, enjoy the clear skies, watch Avatar the Last Airbender (seriously!) and just be.

As my mom and dad say, work hard and do your best with what you have, but right now, rest.