Silence and rest are two precious goods in danger of extinction, it is a luxury, a gift that we sometimes give ourselves when our schedules and obligations allow it.
However, these two dimensions, far from being a whim, are actually two basic needs for our well-being and, above all, for mental balance.
- Ovid said that any kind of life in which there is no rest will soon disappear.
- The truth is that our celebrated Roman poet was not wrong.
- Because beyond what we may think.
- The lack of rest and life in stressful and stimulating environments harms our health.
- And erodes our quality of life.
Many of us evolve into scenarios where there is a constant cacophony of sounds: traffic, conversations, machines at work, airplanes, trains, televisions and even this constant purring of the processor of our computers.
Does all this form a state of relentless hyperactivity, capable of altering our mood, causing irritation, fatigue, loss of concentration?
The funny thing about everything is that people get used to this kind of reality, we think it is, which is what defines society today and therefore there is nothing to do.
In this fast-paced, hyper-connected and even sleep deprived world, we have silenced and rested two luxury pieces that are not accessible to all.
“Rest belongs to work like eyelids to the eyes” – Rabindranath Tagore-
There is death from overwork. Although it currently has no nomenclature in Portuguese, other countries accustomed to this kind of reality have already named it some time ago: in Japan it is karoshi, in China, guolaosi and in Korea, gwarosa.
In these places, where the way of life is mainly associated with the industrial, commercial and productive, silence and rest are not just a luxury, they are increasingly rare.
Lack of sleep and stress do not kill directly, what they are actually doing is increasing suicide rates in these countries, fatigue is so high and the mood so desperate that many people see no solution to their personal reality and they choose the saddest option.
On the other hand, in the Western world, the perspective on this issue varies slightly.
In Europe and the Americas, is there significant data that relates overwork to suicide, but to cardiovascular disease, with high rates of depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia?
Thus, according to experts on the subject, such as Dr. Michael Roizen, director of the Cleveland Wellness Clinic, “rest is now our most underrated health habit. “
We know that persistent noise and the incessant noise of our cities are detrimental to our health and our mood.
A 1975 study published in the journal Environment and Behavior, for example, found that children studying in areas of Manhattan near subway lines were nearly a year behind, which is certainly an important fact.
However, in addition to external sound, there is another type of whisper that also affects our well-being.
We speak, of course, of the obsessive resonance of our thoughts, concerns, goals to be fulfilled, “I must and should. “This noise isn’t healthy either, and it takes our cool off.
Silence and rest stand as two vital antidotes capable of modulating our brains to be harmonious, and for the spirit to be rediscovered and harmonized with its true being.
Many would find it difficult to relate lack of sleep to drunkenness, however, a study published by Dr. David Geffen of the University of California, Los Angeles, notes that, for the brain, not sleeping has the same effect as alcohol.
Our neurons do not communicate effectively, failures, concentration and performance problems, mood swings, irritability, depression?
The psychological effects of lack of sleep are immense and today we continue to overlook this aspect, we do it with our lifestyle, with our electronic devices and the blue light of the screens that stimulate the brain that prevents us from falling asleep.
In addition, our work and the concerns we carry in bed also deprive us of this restful rest essential for physical and cerebral health.
Silence and rest are two words that become business for many companies, so much so that, in the market, we already find sleeping masks that monitor our brain waves and REM states, naps, spas and sleep centers that seek to make us sleep. in no time.
Let us avoid reaching these extremes and become aware of something very simple: rest is life; In a world of incessant external and internal noises, silence is health. Let’s keep that in mind.