Term has just ended for me at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. This term has been really beneficial for me, and I am realising that I have made a lot of progress on the oboe.
Now that the first term is over, and I am on break, I really need this rest. Recently when I was in an oboe lesson, my teacher told me to take the week of Christmas off from oboe. I was like “what? I’ve never done that.” So this is a new thing for me, and in light of this, let’s talk about taking a break.
Here are some thoughts about taking breaks and what I want to share with you.
1. It is okay to struggle with resting
When I rest, I often struggle to actually rest. I tend to busy myself with other things, and I hide from resting. Over the years, I have come to peace with the idea that I sometimes struggle to rest. And it is okay for you to struggle with this too.
Resting is a skill that we can work on. And it is okay to work on it and make mistakes.
2. Resting is productive
This is something that isn’t talked about enough, I think. Resting is part of the process of growth. Our mind and body need time to recover from our practice so that we can retain the info that we are giving it.
When your body is saying no when you are practicing, listening to it is sometimes the more productive thing to do.
Understanding that resting is productive can be really helpful when we are worrying about taking a break.
3. Find the things that give you joy
When we are resting, it can be so tempting to doom scroll, and we all know that that isn’t helpful.
I invite you to engage in hobbies and the things that find you joy. For me, I enjoy cooking, knitting, language learning, and going for walks. What do you enjoy doing?
Doing a brainstorm can be so helpful for when you just want to sit and scroll.
And if you need to just sit, that can be okay too, but doing it with intention can make a huge difference.
If you are taking a break, I wish you a restful break and am sending you all the best.
Happy resting,
Eleanor
Leave a Reply