EMPOWERING WELLNESS: Tips and Resources
SLEEP IS A SUPER POWER
By Drew Nicholls (Secondary Chaplain)
This year has been a year of missing big chunks of sleep, going for periods without good rest, and take having the space to make these things a priority. In truth, my health has been at its hardest hit and as we have come to the depths of winter I have begun to feel as though I am well and truly exhausted.
Let me tell you about the last five months. Hold tight.
In February my daughter was born. 4.1kg, 53cm. A beautiful cheeky girl, a real fire-cracker. We now had two kids under 2 ½ years.
In early March, I decided to leave my Pastoral Ministry role and explore a different passion. In late March I was applying for a new role whilst ‘sushing’ my daughter to sleep and keeping my son entertained. Multitasking at its finest.
In April I started this new role at Foothills Community Care, usually working until 5:30 or 6 at night. With a full-time load and two children….life was getting busy. I've already had a few colds by this stage.
By May, I was beginning to realise that I ain’t Superman, that I was struggling to find time to breathe and yet still stubbornly choosing to do housework until midnight instead of prioritising sleep over everything.
And so now here we are in July, and I am beginning to feel that toll of not just disregarding sleep but of allowing my body to operate in full adrenaline mode. I've been more sick this winter than any other I can remember. It’s not good, It’s time to make some changes.
Sleep is a powerful thing, it really is our weapon again sickness, ill health, weight gain and general health. When we allow time for rest and sleep many beneficial things happen. Read this list slowly and take a breath in between each reach line:
Our breathing begins to slow down….
Our heart rates begin to slow down…
Our muscles begin to relax and start to unwind…
Our brains begin to settle and slow down…
Our hormone levels are enhanced leaving us more balanced…
Our brains begin to open up and allow us to dream…
Now if you're like me, I read these words and my brain begins to realise what I’ve been missing. Rest…slowing down…pausing…unwinding…allowing time for dreaming. There is a good reason for this. When we are in deficit, when we are in need of something, our bodies have this beautiful habit of making us crave the thing that we need the most.
Let me say this another way.
Sleep and rest is a deeply spiritual thing. There is a reason why the Hebrew creation poetic story was written and had 6 days of work and 1 day of rest. There is a reason why this core belief began embedded within the rabbinic tradition. Because was are created for rhythms of work and rest… work and rest… work… rest.
Jesus spoke about weariness laying down all the concerns of our hearts and laying them at his feet, for in him we find rest, and may I say, good sleep! (Matt 11: 28) This was not an accident, for we live in a world of broken and fractured pieces. This world will always call us to consume more and more stuff. When we do this we become weary, and in Jesus, we can find real rest and peace.
Yes, life is busy and there will be periods of time where sleep is a little harder to come by. However we are always better humans when we are energised and rested. We are designed for work but we are very much designed for sleep and rest. Make sleep your superpower!
Discover valuable insights into the impact of sleep deprivation on your child and effective strategies to address it by following this link. Packed with expert advice, this resource emphasises the significance of quality sleep for overall well-being, with a particular focus on students.
WELLBEING RESOURCES
We know that it can sometimes be hard to find the necessary resources in relation to mental health, bullying and family violence, especially when things are tough. For this reason, the School has a small webpage with links related to health and wellbeing resources. This can be found on the School's website under Other Resources or can be found here.