Chuck Norris finds more energy for life by 'downshifting'

It's your day off, and you have a long list of things you need to do, things you want to get a jump on. But you've slept much longer than was intended. So you start your day trying to recalibrate how you'll ever get done all that you planned to accomplish.

Then you begin to realize that something else is at play. You don't feel the least bit tired. Working against this tension to get things done is a sense of relaxation, of focus. Yet in the back of your mind, you can't shake the idea that you're being lazy in grabbing that extra sleep. A nagging voice in the back of your head keeps telling you to get busy.

Somewhere along the ever-accelerating road to greater progress and productivity, we've come to see sleep not as a necessity but as an obstacle – something that should be kept to a minimum. We see this as a sign of discipline, of being a responsible person. We fail to see the abundance of sleep as doing something productive and active that can not only give us a memory boost but also increase our ability to learn – facts that were recently confirmed by a neuroscience study conducted by the University of California, Berkeley.

Spending on the Internet technology sector, much of it designed specifically to make our lives easier, is said to have topped $3.75 trillion worldwide in 2014. In the past 20 years, the number of people who consume luxury items has tripled around the world. Still, the defining characteristic of modern life is not prosperity or more free time but a profound sense of tiredness.

The world of medicine tells us that getting too little sleep is linked with health problems, including obesity and high blood pressure, as well as decreased work productivity. At the same time, the commercial world bombards us with messages categorizing this essential biological act as a "leisure" activity.

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The natural response to being tired is to rest. The problem is that the modern consumer culture can't tolerate rest. And this has got to stop.

With the socialization and instant availability of media, we are confronted with more information and, with it, more choices than ever before, day by day, minute by minute. The information we need to improve our lives is at our fingertips. We only need to seek it out. But the solution is also part of the problem. We are simultaneously empowered and overwhelmed by it all.

"Many of us are poorly equipped to cope with and to effectively process all that is happening around us," notes Dr. Abigail Brenner in a blog post on the Psychology Today website. "A better understanding of who you are and who you are not allows for the personal discernment and critical scrutiny that helps you separate what is important for you personally, apart from the dictates of your society. Armed with that knowledge you no longer have to settle for following along with the pack."

Quietly, a movement is taking hold in this country, as well as in developed countries around the world – the "slow movement." People in increasing numbers are beginning to trade in high-pressure lives for simpler ones.

"The idea is to downshift wherever and whatever you can, to streamline your life, in order to 'upshift' the overall quality of your life," says Brenner.

This movement has also been given its own week – International Downshifting Week, which happens this year from April 20 to April 26. Founded in 2003, it is a week dedicated to building awareness of how a little downshifting can enhance your physical health and mental well-being, as well as your relationships with colleagues, family and friends. You don't have to wait until April to begin.

If the prospect of making such a change seems a bit too overwhelming, just start by asking yourself a few basic questions as to the way you use your time. For example: How much time do you set aside each day for yourself? How can you spend more time with those important to you on a daily basis? Just being mindful about the way you're living – to be consciously aware of what you're doing and why you're doing it – is considered a step in the right direction.

Let us also remember that the Bible's Fourth Commandment tells followers to keep the Sabbath as a time of rest and spiritual rejuvenation. This command to rest, rejuvenate and replenish is common in virtually every religion and culture. It's time we did a better job of taking heed.

Lastly, let's stop undervaluing the act of sleeping and the vital role it plays in good health and happiness. I ask that you please consider all of the above – and sleep on it.

Write to Chuck Norris with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at ChuckNorrisNews.blogspot.com.