A relaxing spot

Take a nap, ignore the mess, meditate a bit — and don’t feel guilty

L-A-Z-Y. Four little letters, turned into a four-letter word.

As a culture, we are over-scheduled, over-worked and obsessed with do-more-and-do-it-now.

Some people can think of nothing worse than doing nothing. To them I say: Stop. Be still. Take a nap. Don’t clean the closet. Put off what you can do today until...

Listen to the cacophony as naysayers frenetically shake their heads, muttering words like chaos, heresy, abomination.

But the chorus is slowly being drowned out by experts, authors and ordinary folks saying it is OK to embrace your inner sloth.

NAPPING

Sara C. Mednick, a Harvard-educated research scientist, recently wrote “Take a Nap! Change Your Life.”

Mednick talks about the harmful effects of our sleep-deprived culture, including an increase in automobile accidents, depression and obesity. She then lays out a plan for optimal napping, including such benefits as increased creativity and alertness and improved memory.

Read more, after your nap...