我最喜欢的休息方式之一就是躺在吊床上。几年前，我甚至买了一个金属支架，在后院搭起了吊床。躺在吊床上，轻轻地前后摇晃，仰望着开阔的天空和偶尔飞过的鸟儿，我感觉自己仿佛置身于另一个世界，远离待办事项清单上的所有事情，也远离一切烦恼。讽刺的是，躺在吊床上的时候，我其实离什么都不远。吊床离后门只有几步之遥，一旦我舒服地躺在吊床磨损的绳子上，我的屁股离地面最多也就四分之一英寸。这么近，我常常担心会不会弄脏我的后裤袋。尽管如此，这种体验却能带来最简单、最纯粹的休息——这让我不禁思考：为什么我不经常这样做呢？
我一直很好奇，为什么我们这么多人都不擅长休息。作为成年人，我们受到的文化熏陶究竟是什么，让我们无法从看似重要的任务中抽身出来，短暂地恢复精力？当然，当我们不想休息的时候，也有很多机会可以停下来：红灯、堵车、超市和银行的排队。然而，对很多人来说，即使有机会休息，尤其是在休息能够提升精力和注意力的时候，我们却选择放弃。继续做手头的事情实在太有吸引力了。或许，改变我们忙碌的节奏去停下来休息，或者意识到休息充电的价值，对我们来说也太难了。
我希望我们能发起一场文化运动，重新赋予休息时间以力量。首先，或许我们应该认识到，休息的定义就是在事物之间穿插，就像书页之间的换页符一样。或许我们可以重新定义一下传统的吸烟休息——走到户外，呼吸新鲜空气，欣赏周围的景色——只是去掉吸烟的部分。或者，我们可以把它当作咖啡休息，坐下来几分钟，把注意力转移到其他事情上——咖啡因甚至饮料都成为可选项。
如果我要制作横幅和传单来支持“休息运动”，它们必须触及我们容易让自己精疲力竭的倾向。它们必须描述我们是多么容易沉浸于正在做的事情中，以至于忽略了真正对我们自身，甚至对我们正在进行的项目而言最有利的因素。我们的所作所为本身就会产生继续做下去的欲望，就像吃糖会让人渴望更多糖一样，而烦躁也会让我们更加烦躁。从这个角度来看，练习休息至关重要，这样才能保持休息的习惯，以免忘记如何休息。这样的练习能让我们确信，当有机会给孩子讲睡前故事，或者欣赏春天的第一朵花时，我们仍然拥有这项技能。
对于我们这些想要更专注生活的人来说，休息是一种很有用的工具。因为通过休息充电，我们通常能够更好地将全部精力投入到日常活动中。休息就像一个冥想的铃声，将我们的注意力拉回当下，让我们以全新的状态重新投入到活动中。
值得尝试一下哪种休息方式最适合我们——无论是短暂的还是长时间的，室内还是室外，是否会弄脏草坪……想想你理想中的咖啡休息时间是什么样的。
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I love this article. It spoke volumes to me.
After I read bedtime stories to my 3-year old and before prayers, she always wants to go to the bathroom (even when she doesn't need to). It is probably a good thing but by that time of day, I am so ready for some alone time with my husband, that I tend to be a little impatient. Lately I've been doing my cat-cow breathing exercises (from yoga) while I wait for her. When she comes back, I'm doing downward dog and she crawls under my "tunnel", saying it's just like a carwash (we go to the drive-through kind). It makes me laugh every night and now it is something I look forward to instead of something that irritates me. Plus I think it makes her hurry, because she knows she has something to look forward to too. :)
In creating my new garden I am setting up small areas where I can sit down and take a break - enjoy gazing at the view or appreciating the work I have completed
Your post is timely for me today ... a Saturday in which I need to clean house, get the shopping done, and catch up on things leftover from my work week ... when what I really want to do is lay out on a lounge chair in this Indian summer sun, soak up the rays, maybe read some good fiction, maybe doze for a few minutes. Ah, but why don't I let myself do just that?
We are inculturated (I'm sure that's a made-up word, but it says it what I mean) with the idea that taking a break is "lazy," "unproductive," or "selfish." Or maybe we think it's a luxury we "can't afford." So we push ourselves to get more and more and more done within our waking hours. Looking at the sky? Well, that's just pure wastefulness! Or perhaps we'll suffer for it later by rushing to catch up.
You've reminded me that life is about more than producing. So today, I'm going to take a break, look at the sky, and sigh. Reconnect with the outdoors. Thanks.
I totally support a movement to take more breaks. So many of us rush around mindlessly doing tasks until we don't even know why we're doing them to begin with.
Dan Garner
Http://ZenPresence.com
I once worked with a team who agreed to have FAB breaks instead of 'fag' breaks. They recognised the camaraderie of people who went to have a ciggie together but felt it was unfair that there was no equivalent for people who didn't have the smoking habit. They agreed a Fresh Air Break would work for them.
And maybe nowadays that's become a FB break (for social networking)?