A few months ago, I decided to take some administrative courses. Those courses would require me to attend some classes, go for some field works and develop a personal studying period. I had to combine it with work and personal life. It all started well; I was really excited about it, I spent most part of my nights and weekends studying. Also, I had to work weekdays and attend to other personal stuff.
After a few weeks into classes and studying really hard, I discovered that my enthusiasm began to diminish. I would feel so tired to attend some of my classes, and sometimes had issues at work. I wasn’t really doing well in the continuous assessments; as I began to feel I wasn’t good at those courses, it seemed like everything was about to go down, and I was scared.
One of my tutors noticed this and called me to ask what was wrong. I explained most of it, and then she said, ‘When was the last time you put up your feet in front of your TV, to watch your favourite TV show, sipping your favourite drink with no worries’? I had to think for some seconds, and still couldn’t find an answer. It means it was really that bad.
That question was all it took me to realise what actually went wrong; I was caught up in all the excitement of doing something new and productive that I forgot I needed to balance it all by having proper rest. Our brains work in such a way that it feeds on what it is provided with to give us what we seek. When you keep the brain worked up without adequate rest, it begins to slow down inefficiency, we get tired easily and leave many important things out because the brain is tired and cannot work effectively.
It is always advisable to take a nap whenever you feel the need for it. It could be of 3 hours daily, but whichever form it is, you just need to rest. This way you can reboot your brain and have it functioning effectively.
With adequate rest, you would be able to see things clearly, have fresh ideas pop out; you would feel refreshed and more eager to get things done. You get to have a positive attitude which rubs off on those around you, you get to be happy, become more productive, and be successful in your endeavours.
To have absolute rest without feeling guilty, you need to have the mindset of taking things easy. When my tutor asked the question on the last time I rested, I also thought that I couldn’t rest at that point as I had a lot to do. However, after realising where the problem came from, I knew I had to take things easy, lest I broke down. This gave me a newfound insight that taking things easy can be a driving force to leading a productive life.
I am the type of person to say ‘I’m fine’ rather than ‘yes, I have a problem’ and this has caused more harm than good. I was tempted to do the same when my tutor approached me, but I was so overwhelmed that I had to let go. Now, it may not have been deliberate, but it was helpful, as my ability to let go of my closed and reserved nature got me the help I needed. There are times you just have to say ‘oh well, I guess it’s world me day’ and loosen up, when such times come by, do let go and see how beneficial it would be.
Back to my story, I am done with those administrative courses now, and I would say I did brilliantly well. All thanks to my wonderful tutor. My work life is as productive as ever, and my personal life is not left out. I have learnt to balance it all. I do rest, take things easy and let go of things to get back my diminishing vigor.