BLOG
Of the three popularly cited pillars of a successful, well-balanced life—Work, Friends, and Sleep—which is the most important? Perhaps that query isn’t framed quite right; the whole concept of balance implies equal significance. To approach the question from a different angle, then, which is abandoned most often? To my eye, Sleep is most frequently neglected. It’s easy to see why: Work and Friends require concrete commitments, and the moment something is scheduled is the moment it registers as an imperative. Rarely do we give Sleep that courtesy. It doesn’t by its nature require the same level of habitual attention.
Over the last few years I’ve gotten better at looking at my habits on their own merits, rather than from an outside, ‘objective’ standard. I still hold the door because it’s polite, I say “Please” and “Thank you” as small exercises in compassion. But my private habits, the ones that don’t involve anyone else, I’ve by and large stopped judging them based on what some invisible observer might think. I’m fortunate in my capacity to ignore those absent eyes, though they certainly governed my behavior for years. A recent episode of Hidden Brain, NPR’s psychology podcast, put this into relief for me. A couple weeks ago they reran an old cast called “Creature Comforts,” which considers the power of touch. I’m gonna hit the highlights (so spoiler warning, I guess?), but I highly recommend listening to it yourself. There’s a lot of detail and nuance I’ll be leaving out.
0 Comments
|
About My BlogStories. Archives
May 2020
Categories
All
|