Some days, you need to rest. You have to call a time out. You don’t write. You don’t read. You don’t draw. You don’t listen to music unless music is something that helps you rest. You don’t watch movies. You’re quiet. You crawl beneath the covers or a blanket and sleep. You need to feel human again. You need to feel like yourself again, and the only way you know to do that is to take a break from everything and give yourself the rest you desperately need.
You may fight through this need, and sometimes you must. You have no choice when a deadline looms, or a client or employer calls. Even then, you may find your mind and body rebel. They may shut down without your permission. When that happens, you have no choice: rest is upon you regardless of your opinion on the matter. If you do have a choice, if the work can wait, you must let it wait. You have to choose to rest. It’s what you need. It’s what your work needs. It’s what your clients and employers need – the you who is whole. The you who is rested and ready to do the work.
When you take that time, something wonderful happens. You awaken, and you find yourself reoriented. You feel human. More than that, you feel like you. You sense that everything has realigned within yourself, and, even though you’re still a bit weary and are looking forward to an early bedtime, you again feel the excitement that comes from reading, writing, drawing, listening to music. You’re ready to arise and to do one of those things because you made one, important choice. You chose to rest.
Image: chicks57 (CC BY NC 2.0)
Sage wisdom! I have always had a problem choosing 100% rest, myself. Seems I’m always “rushing to leisure,” as I call it, even during “free time” — late to hang out with friends or attend some entertainment. Especially since I have been a student again for the past few years, even unscheduled time is spent knowing there is something you should be doing instead of resting. But, resting is part of the formula for success, I agree!
DwayneAlicie I am, by no means, the exemplary model to follow when it comes to this. I struggle to rest. I often joke that I have to have company in order to be lazy. It’s the only way for me not to feel like I should be working on something. Of course, I pull late nights and early mornings in advance of that company coming…
Erin, I’ve seen some tragic cases of burnout over the years, especially among those who, besides their work and family lives, are also involved in ministry or volunteer work. So several years ago, when I started to feel “put upon” and resentful of people who placed any expectations on me whatsoever, I knew I was headed down the road to burnout myself.
The solution? I decided to implement a good ol’ “Sabbath” rest, a day set aside to do what I need to do to recharge my batteries mentally and spiritually. From there, I worked in a few areas of what I call “sacred” time during the week (mine is time with family) that I don’t allow anyone or anything to encroach upon.
Those “set apart” days and parcels of time during the week have changed my life. At first, people got angry with me for not being available when they wanted me to be, but when I explained, most came around.
New England Multimedia Sundays generally are my day off. I have a hard time not working the other days, partially because my day job necessitates working in the evening or early morning hours, partially because of new projects, and partially because I am very much a Martha instead of a Mary. I’m trying to be better about sitting and being still.
Today’s culture seems to spawn this expectation that everyone has to be “on” 24/7. It’s a horrible thing. I’ve learned, though, that setting clear boundaries and expectations can help with that. For instance, someone I know has set email hours and states them clearly in every email communication. If you don’t contact him during those hours, you won’t receive a response until the next day. I think he took the idea from Patrick Rhone.
Funny, it’s Monday, I worked every free moment I could this weekend on prepping the manuscript for publishing, and I am shot. Hope to rest a little on Wednesday.
geoffliving I was like that yesterday. I usually try to take a break on Sunday anyway, but I guess the work and craziness of the days before that ensured the break. I zoned out with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
I hope you get some rest on Wednesday.