Rest as a concept can be defined in several ways. In an interesting analysis paper published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, Helvig, Wade and Hunter-Eades (2016) looked into the many definitions and concepts of rest—
- a mile or league; a distance after which one rests’ (Gothic term from 900 AD)
- a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activity, and freedom from activity or labor (Merriam-Webster dictionary, n.d.)
- a cessation of activity (Merriam-Webster online, n.d.)
- a remainder or to remain (Merriam-Webster online, n.d.)
- a short pause in a line of poetry’ which is understood as a rest (Free Dictionary online, n.d.)
- a pause between notes in lines of music is also called a rest, it means the artist is inactive
- In law, rest can mean ‘to cease voluntarily the presentation of evidence in a case’ as in ‘the defense rests’ (Free Dictionary online, n.d.)
- it may also mean having ‘peace of mind or spirit, free of anxieties’ (Merriam-Webster online, n.d.)
- also described as a device for support (Merriam-Webster online, n.d.) as in a foot rest
- or a base of support (Merriam-Webster online, n.d.) such as ‘the book rests on the table’.
- in Great Britain, rest is used to describe the ‘long stick with a notched plate at one end, used to steady the cue in billiards’
- Buddhist meditation involves the act of schemata involving three aspects: halting, relaxing and resting. During rest, one must sit while meditating which allows the body and mind to heal and recuperate without effort.
- In the Bible you may also find rest (pun intended) as Matthew 11:29 reads: ‘Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls’.
But what is rest for you? Why do we still feel guilty when we think we need to rest? Where does the stigma come from? How do we start cultivating healthy habits of taking rest? Let’s talk about it more this October 10 at 7pm on the #MentalHealthPH tweetchat and on Twitter spaces. Tara #UsapTayo Lite lang with your usual #Usapkada.
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