Seneca's "On Tranquility of Mind" is an astonishing document, full of wisdom that remains highly relevant to my coaching clients and MBA students (and to me) although it was written nearly 2,000 years ago. [1] Taking the form of a letter to Serenus, a close friend of Seneca's who commanded Rome's police and firefighting forces and who sought Seneca's advice on how to live a better life, this far-ranging essay closes with a resolute defense of rest, relaxation, long walks, and even moderate drinking:
The mind should not be kept continuously at the same pitch of concentration, but given amusing diversions... Our minds must relax: they will rise better and keener after a rest. Just as you must not force fertile farmland, as uninterrupted productivity will soon exhaust it, so constant effort will sap our mental vigor, while a short period of rest and relaxation will restore our powers. Unremitting effort leads to a kind of mental dullness and lethargy. Nor would men's wishes move so much in this direction if sport and play did not involve a sort of natural pleasure; though repeated indulgence in these will destroy all the gravity and force of our minds. After all, sleep too is essential as a restorative, but if you prolong it constantly day and night it will be death. There is a big difference between slackening your hold on something and severing the link...
We must indulge the mind and from time to time allow it the leisure which is its food and strength. We must go for walks out of doors, so that the mind can be strengthened by a clear sky and plenty of fresh air. At times it will acquire fresh energy from a journey by carriage and change of scene, or from socializing and drinking freely. Occasionally we should even come to the point of intoxication, sinking away into drink but not being totally flooded by it; for it does wash away cares, and stirs the mind to its depths, and heals sorrow just as it heals certain diseases... But there is a healthy moderation in wine, as in liberty... [W]e must not do this often, in case the mind acquires a bad habit; yet at times it must be stimulated to rejoice without restraint and austere soberness must be banished for a while...
When [the mind] has scorned everyday and commonplace thoughts and risen aloft on the wings of divine inspiration, only then does it sound a note nobler than mortal voice could utter. As long as it remains in its senses it cannot reach any lofty and difficult height: it must desert the usual track and race away, champing the bit and leaving the driver in its course to a height it would have feared to scale by itself. [2]
What's striking is how closely this perspective aligns with what we've learned in recent decades about human performance: Working all-out indefinitely leads to sub-optimal results. [3] Consistent rest is essential for growth and improvement. [4] And regular physical activity contributes to our effectiveness in other domains. [5] But these principles can often be simple to grasp and fiendishly difficult to put into practice. So what can we do?
Thinking about "rest and relaxation" can evoke the concept of a "balanced" life, but as I've noted before, I find "boundaries" a far more useful metaphor: "While balance requires an unsteady equilibrium among the various demands on our time and energy, boundaries offer a sustainable means of keeping things in their proper place." [6] We can support our need for rest and relaxation by establishing boundaries to designate specific times and places for these purposes. Most of my clients are CEOs of rapidly-growing technology companies, and a common theme in my work with them is the value of "getting away" at regular intervals; for some this means an actual vacation (often their first in years), but it's equally likely that they'll benefit simply from designating specific hours during a typical week as time to be spent with family, exercising, or reflecting. But note that even when we've allowed ourselves to go "off-duty," we may still find our attention drawn back to work or other taxing obligations. The key is establishing a psychological boundary to insure that we're truly resting and relaxing, and not merely going through the motions while we worry about the work going undone while we're gone. This ultimately requires the ability to manage our attention, and the best way to build that capacity is through a consistent meditation practice. [7]
It's also important to recognize that we're unlikely to reap the benefits promised by Seneca unless we build in some habits and routines to support a commitment to rest and relaxation. The more we have to stop and consider an intended course of action, the less likely we are to follow through. This may require some "defensive calendaring," blocking out time for rest and relaxation in advance, rather than struggling to find open space for it after all our other commitments have been met. Or it may mean scheduling activities like exercise or meditation at consistent times during the day, triggering an automatic response in ourselves and sending signals to others that these activities take precedence at that time.
Most fundamentally, we have to be aware that rest and relaxation are always important and never urgent. [8] No one will be upset or unhappy with us if we fail to take a break during an intense period of work, or if we skip a workout or meditation session. It will be our responsibility to protect the time that we've dedicated to these activities from other demands, and there will never be a shortage of "urgent-but-not-necessarily-important" work that others will want us to prioritize over our own rest and relaxation. And to be clear, this doesn't become easier as we move up into more senior roles--it becomes more difficult, because more and more people want the leader's attention, and because people don't empathize up. [9]
But as William James wrote in 1892 in discussing the importance of consistent action in building habits, "No matter how full a reservoir of maxims one may possess, and no matter how good one's sentiments may be, if one has not taken advantage of every concrete opportunity to act, one's character may remain entirely unaffected for the better. With mere good intentions, hell is proverbially paved." [10]
A few additional thoughts on drinking, a subject that comes up regularly in my work with clients and students: Alcohol can serve a useful function in a comprehensive approach to rest and relaxation, and it's important to bear in mind how easy it can be to develop an unhealthy relationship with drinking. Among Seneca's recommendations alcohol poses a unique challenge not only because of its complex (and highly individualized) impact on our mind and body, but also because of its pervasive presence in society. Holly Glenn-Whitaker's work on the problems with our concept of "alcoholism" is full of insights on this topic. [11]
Footnotes
[1] On Tranquility of Mind (Seneca, circa 46-62)
[2] Dialogues and Letters, pages 56-58 (Seneca, translated by C.D.N. Costa)
[3] "Work Hard or Work Smart?" Is the Wrong Question
[4] Peak Performance
[5] Get Moving! (Exercise for Busy People)
[6] Happy Workaholics Need Boundaries, Not Balance
[7] Don't Just Do Something, Sit There! (Mindfulness for Busy People)
[9] The Difficulty of Empathizing Up
[10] Psychology, Briefer Course, Chapter X: Habit, page 148 (William James, 1892)
[11] Hi, my name is Holly. And I'm not an alcoholic. (Holly Glenn-Whitaker, Hip Sobriety, 2014)
For Further Reading
Letters from a Stoic (Seneca, circa 65)
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, Chapter 2: What Would Seneca Do? (Oliver Burkeman, 2013)
Photo by James Russell.
