The longest day of the year has come and gone. Personally, I’m a fan of the winter solstice, because I like to say the sentence, “From here on out, we get a little more light every day until it’s summer.” Now it is summer. We’ve reached the summit, and from here, we begin to mosey back on down.
一年中白昼最长的那天来了又去。就个人而言，我喜欢冬至，因为我喜欢说，“从现在开始，直到夏天，我们每天都会有更多光亮。”夏天到了，我们也已经度过一年中白昼最长的时候。从现在开始，白昼又会慢慢变短。
The days are long and languid. Or, they’re long; and they have the POTENTIAL, in their length, to also adopt an amount of lanuidness. (Languidity? Whatever, spell check doesn’t like either one.) I’ve been giving some thought to the idea of rest. It isn’t something I’ve been doing much of lately, and I’m aware of that partially because at the beginning of the pandemic, I did a fair amount of it, and by extension, I learned what it was. I know that I should have known by then, but I didn’t.
现在的白天漫长而慵懒。或者说，白天很长，因此人们有时间在生活中多一些慵懒（lanuidness）。（还是Languidity？算了，拼写检查也确定不了是哪种写法。）关于休息，我一直在思考。最近我没怎么休息，部分原因是，我在疫情之初休息了很久。所以，这才懂得休息是什么。我真希望自己当时能早点领悟，可惜没有。
Now, I’m using the word “rest” in a highly specific way.
这里，我说的“休息”是非常具体的。
Here is a list of what “rest,” by this specific definition is not:
休息是什么，我列出了不算是休息的活动：
It is not sleeping. Sleeping is sleeping. Yes, technically and scientifically, sleeping is the most fundamental form of physical rest, and that’s great, and people should sleep as much as their bodies want. I’m all about sleep. But we have a word for sleep already, and the word is sleep. I am not talking about sleep.
休息不是睡觉。睡觉就是睡觉。准确且科学地说，睡觉是身体休息的最基本形式，这个形式非常好，人们应该根据身体需要，多多睡觉。我完全支持，不过对于这种形式，我们已经有一个词来定义了，那就是睡觉。因此，说到休息，我指的不是睡觉。
It is not meditating or doing yoga. Those are wonderful things, too, and they make SPACE for rest. But they are active, work-centered forms of rest. Don’t get mad at me for using the word “work” and the word “meditation” in the same thought-stream; I’ll reiterate that it’s much easier to rest when you have a solid meditation practice in place. But being with your breathing is an active awake experience, and it’s great — it’s maybe even magical or spiritual!, but it’s not what I’m talking about.
休息不是冥想或者做瑜伽。这些也都是很好的活动，有利于休息。但这些都是运动的、以工作为中心的休息形式。我用了“工作”这个词，还有“冥想”，大家别生气。我再说一遍，如果你进行了合适并且扎实的冥想练习，你休息起来会更容易。专注于呼吸，是个很棒的体验，甚至会十分愉快，振奋精神！但是，这也不是我要说的休息。
It is not watching TV or scrolling on or playing games on your phone. Mindless activities in front of screens are what I like to call “being dead while conscious.” These are the most readily available tools that allow us to leave ourselves, which can feel pretty good, or at the very least, pretty necessary. I am not against being dead while conscious. It’s hard to be a human living in a body. Sometimes it helps to be able to leave. I’ve always been a proponent of taking some time off from life from time to time. I might file under this category all the dopamine deliverers that let us choose pleasure over pain in the short-term: drugs, alcohol, eating microwave nachos under the covers, video games, podcasts, sleeves of Oreos. These are all fun things in great moderation, and I’m not hating on them. But I’m not talking about any of them when I say “rest.”
休息不是看电视、刷手机或者玩手游。我喜欢把在屏幕前无意识的活动称为“神志清醒的死亡状态”。这些常见的设备帮我们忘记现实，这让我们感觉良好，或者至少感觉非常必要。我不反对这样做。人活着不容易，有时候“灵魂出窍”是好事。我向来赞成偶尔的脱离现实。我可以列出所有能让我们在短期内开心起来的活动：嗑药，喝酒，在被窝里吃微波炉烤的奶酪玉米片，打游戏，听播客，狂吃奥利奥。在现代社会，这些都是有趣的事情，我并不讨厌，只不过这些都不是我说的“休息”。
It is not, for the most part, hanging out with people. There are a few exceptions here, and I’ll get to those later, when I start to talk about what this highly-specific form of “rest” IS. (Maybe I should have started there, you’re right, but we’re too far along on this non-definition track to stop now.) Anything where you have to make a date on a calendar is not the thing I’m talking about. Wonderful, generative, life-affirming, necessary, healthy, human, YES — but rest, no.
多数情况下，休息也不是出门约会。个别的例外，我会在稍后解释“休息”的具体方式时提到。（或许我应该现在解释，不过，我们关于不是休息的活动说了太多，现在收不住了。）我说的休息不是那种定好时间的约会。那样的约会很精彩、有活力、积极向上、很有必要，既健康，也富有人情味。但是，那不是休息。
It is not doing little chores on your to-do list that you’ve put off for a while and that are, if you’re being honest, pretty enjoyable. You know: sorting your spices or cleaning the cat hair off the sofa. Things that make your life feel better once they’re done; they scratch an itch; they satisfy something that needs satisfying. Task-doing can be fun, and it can fill an entire weekend day without feeling at all like a waste, but it’s still work. Work is the opposite of rest.
休息不是完成推迟了一段时间的家务，即便你觉得很享受。你知道，分类整理香料或者清理沙发上的猫毛。一旦完成这些，你的生活会变得更好。这些事情满足了需要，应该去做。完成任务会很有趣，可以填满整个周末，让你觉得没有荒废时间，但这依旧是工作。工作不是休息。
You may be thinking, “You have listed everything fun that there is. I guess you think rest is not fun? I have no idea what could be left.” And you’re right, it’s a narrow little window between work and some of the things on the above list.
你或许会想，“你把有趣的事情都列完了。我猜你是不是觉得休息是无聊的？我实在想不出来还能怎样休息了。”你说对了，在工作和上面列出的活动之外，算得上休息的事情的确不多了。
Here are some defining qualities of rest:
休息的关键特征：
Rest is slow. You can’t feel rushed while you’re resting. That doesn’t mean that you can’t rest for an incredibly short period of time; it just means that, if you’re time-limited, you’ll need to have a timer. You cannot be in charge of the time as a resting person. Luckily, we have machines for that.
休息是缓慢的。你在休息的时候，不会感受到匆忙。这并不意味着时间短的情况下你不能休息；只是说，如果你的时间有限，你就需要一个计时器。作为一个正在休息的人，你无法掌控时间。幸运的是，我们有机器的帮助。
Rest is quiet. It’s not noiseless; music is an incredibly important element of rest for many people. But it can’t hurt your ears. You can’t be feeling uncomfortable or suddenly stressed by sounds that are taking up all of the space. Some places to find this kind of quiet: a study with a record player, a kitchen with an open window, a bench near a walking path in the woods. MAYBE a very particular restaurant — one not too full and not totally empty, where you have no worries about being spotted by a person who knows you from the office.
休息是安静的。不是说没有噪音；对于许多人来说，音乐是休息时的一个重要元素。不过，休息时的声音不要损伤耳朵，占据整个空间的声音不要让你感到不舒服或者突然紧张。这种安静存在于：播放着音乐的书房，开着窗户的厨房，林间小路旁的长椅。又或许是一个特殊的餐厅——人不太满但也不空，在那里，不用担心遇到职场熟人。
Rest is soft, or sensual. It’s massaging your own palms with your thumbs, or touching a purring cat, or holding a warm mug of tea, or smelling flowers or coffee beans or cut-up herbs. Rest should softly pleasure the senses, is what I’m saying. More mechanisms for this kind of thing: rocking chairs, candles, lotion, socks from the dryer, honey in hot water, edible things from the garden, a dog or a pet rabbit or goat, a brand new sweatshirt so the inside is super-soft and not pilled at all, scalp-massaging brushes, stones that fit exactly in your hand, a brook or a lake or a bayou for your feet to go in when it’s hot out.
休息是柔软的，或者是感官享受的。可以用手指按摩自己的手掌，抚摸一只发出呼噜声的猫咪，捧着一杯温暖的茶，或是享受鲜花、咖啡豆或碎香草的香气。还有更多能令感官享受的东西：摇椅，蜡烛，沐浴露，从烘干机中拿出的袜子，添加蜂蜜的热水，从花园中采摘的食物，一条狗、宠物兔子或者山羊，一件内里柔软、没有起球的新运动衫，头皮按摩梳，适合把玩的石头，炎炎户外可以蹚水的小溪、湖泊或河口。
Rest is shame-proof. This is the most vital thing. You can’t feel guilt or shame while you’re resting. It is the state of feeling GOOD. And in truth, there are not many people in your life who can coexist with you while you’re resting. Maybe your partner, your sister, your mom, or a friend who has known you a long time. The litmus test for the kind of person you can rest near is whether you (A) are perfectly comfortable in long silences together; and (B) can talk for hours and hours without ever thinking, “OK, what am I going to say next?”
休息是无需内疚的。这是最重要的一点。休息的时候，你不用内疚或惭愧，而应该感到愉悦。事实上，你休息的时候，能和你同处的人很少。或许是你的伴侣、姐妹、妈妈或相识已久的朋友。判断能够共处的标准是：
1. 你和对方长时间呆在一起，不说话也很舒服；
2.你可以和对方进行长时间对话，想到什么说什么，“好吧，我要说什么来着？”
These long, languid-able days have a few extra daylight hours to squeeze in some rest; and I recommend taking advantage of that. The easiest way to rest is to schedule a chunk of time to have a think, or go on a daydream. This actually might look a lot like meditating to the outside world, but it’s different; you’re allowed to think about whatever you want and let your thoughts carry you from here to there with no rules or structure or guidance. I like to go on a daydream in the afternoon, while listening to wordless piano music that I find very non-threatening. (Here’s my wordless playlist, btw.) I put on the music, and maybe grab a simple snack (popcorn, natch), and sit down in the huge red chair and think. Sometimes I close my eyes. Sometimes I get a little stuck and I start by thinking, “I can think about anything I want. Annnnyyyyything. Any. Old. Thing.” And I let my brain take me away. (Set a timer to let yourself go even more; it helps to only be responsible for what’s going on in your mind.) The cats usually join me.
在这些漫长而慵懒的日子里，有富裕的白昼可以挤出一些时间休息，我建议大家好好利用。最简单的方式就是安排一大块时间去思考，或者做个白日梦。在外人看来，这和冥想很像，但其实不一样；你可以随心所欲地思考任何东西，思绪可以飘到任何地方，没有规则，没有结构，也没有指导。我喜欢在下午听着轻松的钢琴曲，做个白日梦。播着音乐，或许会拿点简单的零食（当然是爆米花了），然后坐在大红椅子里神游。有时候，我就简单地闭上眼睛。还有些时候，遇到困难，我就会开始思考，“我可以思考任何我想思考的事情。任何事情，任何过去的事情。”我的思绪带我脱离现实。（设置一个计时器，能够神游更远，让自己更专注地思考。）我的猫常常会和我一起神游。
The thing is, there will always be more on the to-do list. There will always be people who need you, things to accomplish, deadlines to meet. You will never find the time to get into a hammock for an entire day and truly collapse into the knowledge that you got it all done. The best time to rest is today. You do have time, you do have the tools, you do have the wherewithal.
问题是，生活中总有很多事情要做。总会有人需要你，有任务要完成，有截止日期要赶。你可能永远没有在吊床里躺上一整天的机会，不能真正地完成所有任务。最好的休息时机就是现在，你有时间，你有工具，你有休息的条件。
If going on a daydream doesn’t sound good to you, I have listed a few more rest ideas below. Choose one. Choose two. Come up with your own! And then, when you’ve done that, tell me YOUR resting ideas. I’m 100 percent here for them.
如果做白日梦不够吸引你的话，我还有一些其他的建议。选一个或两个，或者创造属于你自己休息方式！有的话，也请把你的方式分享给我，我一定支持。
Ideas for Rest:
休息的方式：
(Choose one, or more!)
（选择一个或者多个！）
Choose an album you haven’t listened to all the way through in a while and put it on. Lie on the floor while you listen to it. I mean, really listen to! Get into it. Get carried away. Think thoughts like, “That was sonically so pleasing to me.” Let the music be in the foreground.
选一张你很久没听过的专辑，播放音乐，躺在地板上聆听。我是说，真正地听音乐！沉浸地听，专注地听。你会想，“这个声音也太悦耳了吧。”要重点关注音乐。
Read a magazine. I call this “shallow reading,” because you don’t have to really concentrate, and you can drop into the things that interest you. If you don’t have a magazine, subscribe to one! I really love thumbing through Bon Appetit (I know they have had some problems in the past, but their new editorial staff is great), and Real Simple, and Better Homes and Gardens, which inevitably has very pretty pictures of gardens. The gardens truly ARE better!
读一本杂志。我称之为“浅阅读”，因为你不用集中精力，你可以关注你感兴趣的东西。如果没有杂志，那就订阅一本！我真的很喜欢翻一翻《好胃口》（Bon Appetit，我知道这本杂志之前存在一些问题，不过他们的新编辑真的很棒），还有《返璞归真》（Real Simple），以及《美好家园》（Better Homes and Gardens），这家杂志上的花园照片非常漂亮。花园真的很美好！
Read a book. I call this “deep reading.” Also, I did not come up with these terms.
读一本书。我称之为“深度阅读”。同样，这些术语不是我想出来的。
Get your feet wet for a WHILE. This is good for a hot day, when looking out at water is another excellent way to rest.
把脚泡进水里。在炎炎烈日下，望着水面，这又是另外一种绝好的休息方式。
Sit on your porch and gaze at stuff. Just make a long list of everything you see. Say hi to people, ask how they’re doing.
坐在门廊上，凝视周边。把看到的一切都列出来，跟来往的人打个招呼。
Stretch out on a big bed or couch or cushion and roll your head around. Smell perfume samples. (If you are into perfume samples, which I am, for this couch-cushion activity, Vogue, Marie Claire, and GQ are good magazines to subscribe to.)
在一张大床、沙发或者垫子上舒展身体，转动头部。品闻香水样品。（如果你也像我一样喜欢香水样品的话，那么像Vogue、Marie Claire和GQ这种带有试香页的杂志就非常适合订阅。）
本期主创团：
翻译：Fay
总校对、责任编辑：Leon Yong
原文：https://humanparts.medium.com/this-is-how-you-rest-768ac5e608db