Каталог статей из сборников научных конференций и научных журналов- Tell me of your rest and I’ll tell you how happy you are

E. A. Brashovan

Kuban State University,

Institute of Secondary Professional Education,

Krasnodar, Russia

21 century… 3d millennium. On one hand, we live in the world of great opportunities, limitless permissiveness. We can have whatever we want at any time.  But can we say that we have a happy life, or that our lives are happier than those of our ancestors?

The notion “quality of living “that appeared in 1958 is still being discussed by huge number of people. It can be viewed through two tendencies. The first one is based on the characteristics of socio-economic development level of society including quality of educational and medical services available for people, level of delinquency, later there were ecological characteristics included. But the bigger popularity both in previous times and now is observed in the definition of “quality of living” as “individual’s subjective assessment of the level of satisfaction  of his or her personal needs”. And the level of this satisfaction depends on many things including one of the main-rest and the quality of human’s rest.

Human of the 21 century is the one who is constantly on the move. People have an enormous number of things to do. “Not a minute should be wasted” has become a kind of a 21-century’s motto. People are constantly rushing somewhere, trying to be in some place at one time, to do several things simultaneously. And what’s the result? Almost 90 % of people suffer different kinds of neuroses. Some are at the “beginner’s level”, but some are close to the nervous breakdowns, even thinking of suicides.  That can happen to different people: those who live a hand – to-mouth existence, having several works to earn for living and with those who are at the top of the society wallowing in money. All of them have no satisfaction in their quality of living, and if we run through the reasons one of the first places will be taken by the absence or a bad quality of rest.

According to the scientific survey, there exist different types of rest [1]:

The first type of rest is physical rest, which can be passive or active. Passive physical rest includes sleeping and napping, while active physical rest means restorative activities such as yoga, stretching and massage therapy that help improve the body’s circulation and flexibility. Add morning, or evening, exercises into your everyday-to-do-list (at least 10 or 15 minutes) and you will feel a flow of vitality.

The second type of rest is mental rest. It’s when despite sleeping seven to eight hours, you wake up feeling as if you have never gone to bed. This is a mental rest deficit. In order to improve it just schedule short breaks to occur every two hours throughout your workday; these breaks can remind you to slow down.

The third type of rest is sensory rest. Bright lights, computer screens, background noise and multiple conversations can cause our senses to feel overwhelmed. This can be countered by doing something as simple as closing your eyes for a minute in the middle of the day, or just turn off all electronics at the end of the day and especially before sleep.

The fourth type of rest is creative rest. This type is especially important for anyone who must solve problems or constantly create new ideas. “Creative rest reawakens the awe and wonder inside each of us”. Find time to admire the world around you: it doesn’t matter either you’ll go to some other countries, new places or have just a slow walk from work to home instead of driving a car in rush hours.

The rest number five is emotional rest. It means that you have to have time only for yourself, for your feelings. Unplug everything that makes you feel unappreciated, not needed, remove people who make you feel being used. Be true and sincere and have a courage to answer, “I’m not OK”, if it is so, and share your worries with right people. Learn to say “No” to people whom you have no wish to please or be pleasant to. Respect yourself first!

The next kind of rest is a social rest. One wise person once said : “Have a courage to leave an boring film, leave people who suppress you, make you feel miserable and you will feel happier, much-much happier than you’ve been before”. Surround yourself with only positive people, pleasant relations, with only those who makes your life brighter.

The final type of rest is spiritual rest, which is “the ability to connect beyond the physical and mental and feel a deep sense of belonging, love, acceptance and purpose”. It means just that you need to put yourself into a prayer, some meditation. Believe in some spiritual power supporting you and leading you into the right direction.

In our time, especially in time of pandemic, we all are really exhausted and almost all of us need physical, sensory, mental rest: constant screens, phones, problem in social life, in relations and so on. What is to be done? Sit calmly and think what kind of rest you need first of all, what rest will bring better results for your mental health, for your physical state, for your life satisfaction. Make a list of kinds of rest necessary for you on a sheet of paper beginning from the most important. Make a plan what to begin with( switch the phone 1 hour before sleep, or have a walk after work instead of driving a car at least one day a week, or remove negative thoughts and people from your life).

It is clear that every person should listen to himself and choose the right decision. Manage your time in such a way that you will have it for the rest you really need.

Bibliography

1. Saundra Dalton-Smith MD. The 7 types of rest that every person needs. https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/
2. Болдырева Т.А. Взаимосвязь качества жизни и некоторых объективных и субъективных факторов жизнедеятельности студент. http://vestnik.osu.ru/2015_2/32.pdf