32.3069, Fund Drive Silver Lining: Active Rest

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-32-3069. Wed Sep 29 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.3069, Fund Drive Silver Lining: Active Rest

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Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2021 15:39:27
From: LINGUIST List [linguist at linguistlist.org]
Subject: Fund Drive Silver Lining: Active Rest

 
As a student during the pandemic, I can’t say that I enjoyed virtual classes
as much as I enjoy in-person classes. I felt that, in my context, it led to
much less peer-to-peer interaction, something that I sorely missed. And, doing
all of my coursework from home made me feel a bit stir-crazy. It was this
cooped-up feeling that led to one of my silver linings; during the pandemic, I
developed a love for walking outdoors. 
Pre-pandemic, I had walked to school some days, but these had been hurried
walks filled with plans and worries about the day ahead. During the pandemic,
I learned to ramble around my neighborhood, admiring my neighbors’ gardens and
occasionally meeting their cats. Just puttering around with no particular
destination allowed my mind to relax and wander freely, and I found that after
these walks, I was much more able to focus and work efficiently than I had
been before them. In short, I had learned the difference between what I think
of as ‘active’ and ‘passive’ rest.
 My walks to school pre-pandemic were passive rest. I wasn’t working on
anything, but I also wasn’t allowing myself to relax. My brain was still going
a mile a minute. My walks during the pandemic, however, were restorative and
peaceful. Not only was I not working, but I was also actively re-charging both
mentally and emotionally. 
Despite living in a culture that seems to view busyness as a badge of honor,
I’m coming to realize that down time (or, ‘active rest’) is essential,
particularly in an academic setting. Allowing my mind to wander makes space
for creative ideas to bloom, and cuts down on feelings of burnout during
stressful seasons. Of course, none of these ideas are new or original; the
past 18 months just gave me a personal lesson in them. In the future, I hope
to continue my practice of walking the neighborhood several times a week. 
Do you have a practice or habit that you picked up during the pandemic and
hope to continue in the ‘new normal’? Or, is there a way that you and your
colleagues managed to keep up your work despite all obstacles? If so, we’d
love to hear about it! You can send your Silver Lining stories or comments to
funddrive at linguistlist.org to be shared with fellow LINGUIST List readers
during this year’s Fund Drive. 
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