The Importance of Rest
“You are too hard on yourself and you don’t rest!”
Her tone was harsh but her words were true. Somehow I felt she was intentional in her tone in hopes to get her point across. My sister had recognized a pattern and addressed it. She told me that I wasn’t resting well and was expecting way too much of myself. But I had goals and they mattered to me. The only way that they would happen was if I worked hard and ran fast towards them. If it meant going to bed at 1 am and getting up 4 hours later then so be it!
I was working so hard that I was not giving myself the grace or permission to rest. Rest to me felt like quitting; like I wasn’t intentional in going after the things I wanted. If I rested that would mean that nothing would happen and I'd carelessly allow time and opportunity to pass me by. Frustrated with me she said, “What you've made is great and you need to ease up on yourself but I’m going to leave you alone to think.” I felt like the victim in our conversation because she should have been encouraging me to keep working and going after what I wanted but instead, she was telling me to stop and rest.
I sat for a while mulling over her words and the phrase “you don’t rest” seemed to resurface over and over again. She was right. My mind was cluttered, I was flustered and felt unproductive because I had not rested. We live in a world where hard work is highlighted and the importance and balance of rest are not displayed as frequently. I was so used to spinning my wheels that I rarely took the time to pause, ensuring that I was balanced in focus and at rest.
Rest and grace are an absolute must. When your efforts are rooted in rest and grace, success will come. You have to prioritize rest with the same effort you give to working hard. This means that you should be intentional in carving out time to rest and recharge. You will only put out your best when you make space to rest both mentally and physically.
And don't forget about grace. When grace is given, you no longer focus on being nearly perfect, but you can shift your focus to doing things in excellence. That means giving 100% by wholeheartedly doing whatever may be your goal or what is required of you. If things don’t shape out exactly how you predicted, it’s quite alright. When you have done your best, you've done enough.
Whether you are a creator, business owner, manager, mother, chef, or trainer, don't overdo it. Make space to pause and give yourself the gift of rest and grace.
Here are a Few Ways to Rest and Recharge
Take a walk outside
Stretch
Pray and meditate
Practice being silent
Journal