Take It Slow, It’s Summer

Take It Slow, It’s Summer

  • June 29, 2017

It’s only after we’ve slowed down that we realize how much we needed it. Summer is the perfect time to give ourselves permission to take things slow. To walk instead of running. To catch our breath. To say NO so we can finally say YES to ourselves.

Have you heard of the nap?

Ah yes, the nap! The one we never take. The one that would be so perfect at 2 p.m. at the office. That thing that we wrongly confuse with wasting time, which makes us feel guilty, which we associate with laziness. That moment that we keep putting off, that we hope for, that we envy our children for, that we worship, but that we ignore more often than not.

However, this pioneer of the moment of rest has many virtues and real benefits for your health and wellness. According to Michel Tiberge, a neurologist at the Centre du sommeil de Toulouse [the Toulouse sleep centre], human beings are genetically programmed to tend to feel sleepy around 2 to 3 p.m. This sleep specialist is letting us know that it’s completely normal and legitimate to feel the need to nap. So go ahead, nap without guilt or worries! After all, it’s summer!

So let me officially introduce you to your new best friend, the nap, director of daydreaming and specialist in the small joys of life. Get to know each other. Invite it to come over in the afternoon this summer. Nod off in a hammock out of the sun or on a lounge chair at the beach. On a gloomy day, stretch out on a couch or in your bed, at the cottage or at home. The muted drumming of the rain is the perfect thing to add a little more sweetness to your nap.

Here are the main benefits of an afternoon nap:

  1. It reduces your stress
  2. It improves your memory
  3. It bolsters your concentration
  4. It stimulates your creativity
  5. It boosts your immune system
  6. It recharges your batteries, giving you more energy
  7. It adds 1-2 hours of sleep to your day
  8. It sharpens your cognitive skills
  9. It increases your alertness
  10.  It improves your mood

Most importantly, it’s simply good for you. Its company is kind, enveloping, comforting, and energizing. How did the nap develop its art with such finesse? It drew inspiration from its closest friends: break and vacation. Ask for an introduction. They both have great tips to slow down this summer.

Anne-Marie Charron
Wellness blogger