Rest and Recovery
Adequate rest and recovery is important for maintaining health and preventing injury.
If we carry out any activity for a period of time, at some stage we will experience fatigue. Fatigue is a temporary state, where our physical and mental resources are depleted, making it difficult to continue the activity effectively. Our mental and physical performance declines and we may even feel discomfort if we continue.
A period of rest and recovery will offer the body the opportunity to replenish energy supplies, repair any minor muscle damage that occurs with strenuous physical activity, and restore balance in the body’s systems.
Ways to Support Recovery
- Ensuring good quality and sufficient sleep: During sleep, important tissue repair processes take place, helping to restore homeostasis. Sleep is also important for supporting mental health and cognitive function. Good ‘sleep hygiene’ can improve sleep quality and quantity.
Find more information and guidance here: nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/how-to-fall-asleep-faster-and-sleep-better
- Meditation, relaxation, or breathing exercises: These activities have been shown to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to promote a calm, restful, and refreshed state. For ideas and exercises, see mindful.org
- Gentle exercise: Gentle exercise such as walking or stretches are a form of ‘active recovery’ and can help reduce muscular tension and improve blood flow to the tissues. Walking promotes lymphatic drainage, helping to clear waste products from the body.
There are also benefits for mental health, helping to improve mood and reduce anxiety sensitivity.
- Mindful movement practices: Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong are all examples of movement practices that help to strengthen the body-mind connection; improve a sense of physical awareness, lower stress, and release tension. The NHS website has free videos suitable for all fitness levels.
Rest and recovery periods are particularly important if we are increasing our usual activity levels or workload. For musicians, this could be starting a new job, preparing for an exam, or embarking on a tour requiring extra travel and performances. In these examples, we may be loading the musculoskeletal system beyond its current capacity levels, leading to discomfort, poor posture, and increased injury risk.
Putting strategies in place to ensure sufficient fatigue management is therefore important to maintain health and wellbeing.
Effective Rest and Recovery Habits
- Regular Breaks: Research shows that frequent, shorter breaks are more effective at combating fatigue and injury than fewer, longer breaks. It’s also better to break before fatigue sets in rather than wait for your performance to decline. Extra breaks may be required during heavier workloads, longer hours, or when returning from a period of ill health.
- Stretch Snacks: Take the opportunity to have a quick stretch snack, particularly if your current task involves prolonged standing/sitting, repetitive movements, or an awkward working position. Stretching helps to reduce muscle tension, rebalance muscles and allow better ease of movement. Choose one or two of your favourite stretches and add them into your day when you can.
- Take a Breath: Research demonstrates that simple breathing exercises (e.g., taking a 3-count inhale and 3-count exhale for 3 repetitions) are effective in calming the nervous system and supporting mental health. Box-breathing (inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts) can be helpful to combat performance anxiety. Try the Lungy app for breathing exercises with beautiful visual interactive cues.
- Out-of-Work Activities: Remember that some activities outside work could add to the musculoskeletal load and contribute to fatigue. For example, video gaming or computer use requires similar muscles and postures to playing an instrument. Try to choose activities that use a different set of muscles and loading patterns.
- Scheduling: Due to the nature of the industry, freelance musicians can feel pressure to accept offered roles leading to intense periods of work. There may also be peak times for musicians when schedules become all-consuming.
Try to plan carefully to prevent overload. Ensure that you have allowed for sufficient recovery time between practice sessions and during a run of performance dates. If you have unavoidable peak work periods, try to cut down on other demands on your time such as social events.
Periods of rest may feel like wasted time or lead to guilt over jobs you could be doing. However, prioritising adequate rest and recovery is an investment in your physical and mental health. There will also be benefits to your performance, cognitive function, creativity and productivity.
