A sleep specialist suggests that on long road trips parents should pull over for 30 minutes during the children’s normal afternoon nap time and refer to it as “rest time.” Dr. W. Christopher Winter avoids the word “nap” because he believes it adds unnecessary pressure. Instead, it’s just a “rest time”, and whether everyone is asleep or wide awake, the trip resumes after a half hour.
I love this idea of minimizing the hype of a situation and achieving the same result by easing into it. People should plan to just lay down and rest, and hopefully, sleep will follow, rather than admonishing themselves for not falling asleep instantly. Instead of building up expectations that you are going to finish a project, be more reasonable and say you plan to make progress on it for a set period. Commit to doing the less daunting initial stretches instead of feeling like you need to gear up for a full workout.
Be intentional about the words you use to describe what is difficult for you to do. Language can break down or build up those mental barriers of resistance. Rest time anyone?
Source: Tips for taking a road trip this spring by Catherine Hamm for the Los Angeles Times, in the Telegraph Herald, March 14, 2021 p. 4C
