Thanks for all the comments and e-mails and likes on Monday’s newsletter about Thich Nhat Hanh and grudges. I’m glad other people knew and appreciated his writings and just his presence in the world.
I have to confess that at mid-week of week 4 of our semester, I am beat. Maybe it’s the rain today or that I’ve got too much on my plate, but I am definitely feeling the exhaustion. I try not to be that person who brags about being tired, because that, my friends, is some capitalist propaganda—the idea that being tired is a condition to aspire to and a badge of honor. Nope. I genuinely do not like being tired, unless maybe it’s after a really good meal and a couple cocktails. I am a dedicated napper, but the last few days, even napping has been hard.
In Peace Is Every Breath, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about sleeping, too, of course. Here’s the comfort he offers insomniacs—resting is almost as good as sleeping. It sounds so simple, but it’s so soothing when you wake up in the middle of the night (for the third time) and feel more awake than you’ve felt at any other point in your day. And you’re anxious about all the things you need to do that day and how are you going to get them done on three hours of sleep? Plus, nothing makes your immune system more vulnerable than lack of sleep. And on and on with the spiral of anxiety.
When I feel like that, I imagine Thich Nhat Hanh, whispering softly, “Resting is almost as good as sleeping.” I lie still. I breathe in. I breathe out. I rest and, almost always, eventually, I sleep.
Hope you’re all sleeping or resting or at the very least, resisting the urge to wear your fatigue like a badge of honor. Here are some daffodils poking their head out of the ground, because spring is on the way.
As long as you’re here and if you have a minute, help me out by filling out this quick survey about the newsletter, here.
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Resting is almost as good as sleeping
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Thanks for all the comments and e-mails and likes on Monday’s newsletter about Thich Nhat Hanh and grudges. I’m glad other people knew and appreciated his writings and just his presence in the world.
I have to confess that at mid-week of week 4 of our semester, I am beat. Maybe it’s the rain today or that I’ve got too much on my plate, but I am definitely feeling the exhaustion. I try not to be that person who brags about being tired, because that, my friends, is some capitalist propaganda—the idea that being tired is a condition to aspire to and a badge of honor. Nope. I genuinely do not like being tired, unless maybe it’s after a really good meal and a couple cocktails. I am a dedicated napper, but the last few days, even napping has been hard.
In Peace Is Every Breath, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about sleeping, too, of course. Here’s the comfort he offers insomniacs—resting is almost as good as sleeping. It sounds so simple, but it’s so soothing when you wake up in the middle of the night (for the third time) and feel more awake than you’ve felt at any other point in your day. And you’re anxious about all the things you need to do that day and how are you going to get them done on three hours of sleep? Plus, nothing makes your immune system more vulnerable than lack of sleep. And on and on with the spiral of anxiety.
When I feel like that, I imagine Thich Nhat Hanh, whispering softly, “Resting is almost as good as sleeping.” I lie still. I breathe in. I breathe out. I rest and, almost always, eventually, I sleep.
Hope you’re all sleeping or resting or at the very least, resisting the urge to wear your fatigue like a badge of honor. Here are some daffodils poking their head out of the ground, because spring is on the way.
As long as you’re here and if you have a minute, help me out by filling out this quick survey about the newsletter, here.
Thanks as always for reading!