WEB EDITOR'S NOTE: The following excerpt is taken from The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods by A.D. Sertillanges, O.P. (translated by Mary Ryan, M.A.).
On Rest: Knowing How to Relax
Complete rest will however also be necessary, complete I mean through momentarily giving up every preoccupation with one's task, — except that of the "permanent work" that we have seen to be so easy and so profitable.
St. Thomas explains that the true rest of the soul is joy, some activity in which we delight. Games, familiar conversation, friendship, family life, pleasant reading such as we have spoken of, communion with nature, some art accessible to us, some not tiring manual work, an intelligent stroll about town, theatrical performances that are not too exacting or too exciting, sports in moderation; these are our means of relaxation.
But they must not be carried to excess either. Protracted relaxation, besides eating up time, interferes with the momentum of a life of work. It is very important for each person to discover the harmonious alteration which leaves this momentum at its maximum with the minimum of fatigue. To work too long is to get worn-out; to stop too soon is to fail in giving one's measure. In the same way to rest too long is to destroy the momentum acquired; to rest too little is to fail in renewing one's strength. Know yourself, and proportion things accordingly. With this reservation, frequent short spells of rest, which refresh without obliging you to make a complete new start afterwards, are the most advantageous.
