Vietnam Diaries (Day 16): A Rhythm Divine

I arrived in Nha Trang today from Da Nang taking a 2.15AM train. Despite sleeping late, I ended up waking up early on the train. Despite being comfortable, the train was not as silent as I needed it to be. By the time I reached the hostel, it was lunchtime and I was starving. I ended up having to walk around quite a bit in the sultry afternoon to find good, affordable food. By the time I was done, I just wanted to sleep. I decided to listen to my body and did nothing for most parts of the day, except seeing the sunrise from the train and sunset from a pagoda located on a hill (besides the usually blog update and meals).

Had I not woken up early, I would have missed this stunning view of the South China Sea from the Train

If I don't get my seven hours of sleep on even one day, I function suboptimally. I like to believe I am a creature of rhythm. Some other friends and acquaintance from my generation say it is 'old age catching up' or it is 'not discipline, but monotony', but I strongly disagree.

Ever wondered why the Buddha was always peaceful...

 It is not that I have always been this way. During my days at B-School, I used to have extremely erratic timings, often sleeping any time between 1AM to 4AM for 3-5 hours at night and then making up for the rest of the sleep during the day. During my undergraduate days, I went a whole month studying at night and then sleeping between 5AM to 12 Noon every day. I didn't see any side effects so I didn't buy what my family would advise me. 

During the Fellowship, the story was different. I was actually pushing myself to my fullest potential. I was chasing ambitious goals in a resource-constrained and challenging environment. My days were long and exhausting in all ways - physical, mental, emotional and social. It was a time-bound challenge, so I went in saying I will do everything I possibly can in the two years with my students. I felt the rest could have happened after I completed the program. With a quarter left to the end of the Fellowship, I was feeling extremely burnt out. It had its impact, not just on my own wellbeing, but also the experience I was creating for my children. 

The importance of self-care has probably been one of my most useful learnings from the Fellowship. I have personally seen how a consistent routine has increased my productivity. I have also witnessed how the lack of one has adversely impacted me and also many others I have worked with. Besides, a routine is also something I find in common among all the leaders I have grown admire.

...because even the Enlightened One caught his daily naps

People often confuse 'resting' with 'sleeping'.  Watching a movie sitting on a couch or reading a book or exercising may energize you in different ways. While they are important, they cannot compensate for sleep. Sleep is a biological pre-requisite. If my experience is not telling enough, plenty of research demonstrates the irrefutable link between sleep and good mental, physical and emotional health (see video below)

While it is a 'drowsy' topic, not only should we be aware of the importance of sleep, but practice consistent pre-sleeping and sleeping rituals. After all, our life does depend on it.

The Sun sets every day to rise again, and so should we