Work vs. Rest
Society often talks in extremes. Either you are a workaholic and need to chill out or you are lazy and need to do something with your life. It often seems like there is no middle ground, no balance. Personally, I tend to stay busy. I like having a schedule, routine, etc. I crave productivity in my daily life. However, if I don’t give myself any time to rest, my productivity level goes down, I’m irritable, and I feel exhausted.
We need both in our lives. All in one extreme or another is unhealthy. This is why many people take a Sabbath day (one day in the week where you don’t work and make an intentional choice to rest), choose to work a 9-5 and relax in the evenings, etc. Have you ever come back from a vacation and feel so ready to get back to work? Our bodies crave both!
Rest also looks different for everyone. For example, my dad prioritizes Sunday as his rest day. He goes to church, comes home, and takes an afternoon nap. He refuses plans, activities, etc. for this time of rest. Then he will spend some time planning his week or watching various videos on things he wants to learn about but didn’t have the time or energy to learn about during the week. For myself, I usually will take one evening during the week where I can do whatever I feel like doing, as long as it doesn’t stress me out and is not work or school-related. I also spend a couple chunks of time during the weekend relaxing. For me, this has looked like catching up on a TV show while I paint, napping, trying macrame, hanging out with a friend I know I won’t have time to see later, treating myself to some ice cream, or reading.
I’ll write it again. Rest looks different for everyone. It’s important to understand that so that you don’t wind up comparing yourself to others. You can certainly try others’ form of rest, but if it doesn't work for you, try something else. We don’t all feel rejuvenated in the same way.
On the other hand, if you’re struggling with resting too much, what can you do to balance it out? What tasks have you been avoiding that just need to get done? Are you working part time but should work full time? Sometimes, life happens and we wind up in this extended period of rest. It was necessary and good at first, but it’s time to pick back up. When motivation is low, assign yourself to do just a couple tasks per day. That feeling of accomplishment is addicting, and you may find yourself back into that balance in no time.
Whether you are resting too much, working too hard, or have that perfect balance, this reminder is for everyone. We were made to rest and to work!
Challenges/Points:
We were made to work and to rest.
Everyone’s way of resting looks different, and it’s important not to compare yourself to others.
Find a day or time this week to rest and stick with it.
Questions:
Do you consider yourself to have a work and rest balance?
What looks like rest to you?
How did you feel in times when you were either working too much or resting too much?
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