Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE
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It's good to nap
Having my siesta
If you've been reading my blogs recently, you'll know that I have a keen interest in encouraging the practice of having a siesta after lunch in order to be at our best for the afternoon. We all tend to have a low dip in energy levels, around 12 hours after our deepest part of night-time sleep between 12.00am and 2.00am. This is a biological need, so we feel tired despite any lunch we may have eaten. If we are able to have a 10-15 minute snooze we can restore our energies so we can think more clearly, be more productive, make better negotiations and generally communicate well, rather than through a drowsy fog. It also can help our posture as we feel more sprightly and less heavy.
To siesta, doesn't take more than around 15 minutes as part of a normal lunch break. If we actually don't get a break and munch sandwiches at the desk, then that is a problem in itself. If we work so hard, then there is even more need for Positive Self Care to ensure we don't burn out. I'll talk more about this later. If we do get a break, then it can be our choice to have a nap. At least it should be our choice, but current northern European culture doesn't really respect this so we feel guilty about shutting our eyes; we struggle on, fuelled by copious amounts of coffee. Not good. As it may help to wake us up, coffee can also cause aggression and stress. It's just better to have a proper shut-eye for a few minutes and then the rest of the day will go so much more smoothly and efficiently.
I'm now on a mission with this and am determined to see if we can change the culture so that napping after lunch, (in our own break) can become more accepted. Of course, I'm not suggesting that we all must have a siesta, but if we feel the need, then we should be able to do so, without trepidation or fear of criticism.
So I am setting up the first National Siesta Day in the UK which will happen on Wednesday 28th June 2006. It will be communicated via national, regional press, radio and TV nearer the time. Press releases have been sent out to over 400 news desks and the website has been set up as a place of reference www.siestaawareness.org..
If you get a sense of tiredness after lunch, see if you can create the opportunity to have a snooze for a few minutes. Set your mobile phone alarm to wake you and then afterwards, wash your face, drink some water and maybe have a square of chocolate. Don't over sleep as you'll feel drowsy all day! But just a few minutes ....or even just a few seconds of drifting away can really help. It doesn't need to be a deep sleep. Even just letting your mind wander with your eyes closed can do wonders. You may find it helpful to push your chair back against a wall to rest your head. Give yourself a cushion or pillow, (travel pillows available from some chemists support your neck) and maybe adjust the arms of your chair so you are supported but not hunching your shoulders.
So watch out in the press, radio or TV for National Siesta Day on the 28th. If you do see something, you'll know where it originated, and you got wind of it first on this site.
It's good to nap. Try it. :-)
