Why rest is an anti-aging decision.

And other reasons to back off this summer.

My favorite entrance to a favorite place: The Old Forest at Overton Park, Memphis.

“What are you going to do with your holiday week?” my friend asked me last week, before she flew off to a well-earned vacation.

Uh, well, um … I didn’t really have an answer. I think I actually said, “I’m going to catch up on some work.”  

I am aware that I have a conflicted relationship with rest. Naps. Boredom. Turning off. Checking out.

As a certified Type A, accomplishment-driven professional, I have long gotten validation from a to-do list with lots of items crossed off.

Plus, when you work for yourself, it’s easy to feel the fear and worry that comes with not plunging into your things-to-do mindset every minute of every day.

Clients count on me. My family counts on me. I love my work.

But what about who I count on? Which is why I went looking during this holiday week for a reason to back the hell off, for once.

I’m happy to report that I found quite a bit of encouragement, especially when it comes to sleep.

For a decade, not getting enough sleep has been designated a public health crisis, with everything from automobile accidents to chronic diseases made worse because of sleep deprivation. More recently, a study out of Georgia showed that irregular sleep — including what the study jocularly called “social jetlag” — was linked to advanced biological aging. Put simply, not getting enough regular, quality sleep ages people faster.

Noted.

But what I’m looking for isn’t just about giving myself permission to go to bed when I’m tired (why does this seem to occur earlier and earlier?) or take a nap when I want to. What I’m interested in is REST. That ineffable state of relaxation, calm, peace and quiet, both in body and in mind.

Tricia Hersey.

Which is why I was delighted to discover Tricia Hersey, an artist, theologian and activist who founded something called the Nap Ministry. With her book Rest is Resistance (and set of cards — called the Rest Deck — designated “to help resist grind culture”), Hersey’s work asks difficult and challenging questions: What would it look like to live in a well-rested world? How much of grind culture feeds into toxic narratives of white supremacy and capitalism? What can you gain — and not just give up — by committing to behavior that is restful?

I thought about trying to interview Hersey, but was delighted to discover that she is on sabbatical until August.

If you want to hear a terrific conversation about the Nap Ministry and Hersey’s work, check out this NPR Life Kit interview. As Hersey told interviewer Shereen Marisol Meraji, “Our dream space has been stolen, and we want it back. We will reclaim it via rest.”

So here goes: When you read this today, I won’t be in my office or even looking at email. I’ll take off the Apple Watch, maybe even turn off my phone.

My plan: Read. Sleep. Eat good food. Walk in the forest with my husband and our dog. Repeat.

See you next week.