Are you getting your rest?
I just returned from the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia. It was a restful week, with some hiking and trail riding, good dinners and great conversations with my daughter, and some time to read, journal and reflect on life. The picture is my view of the evening sunset during the week.
I won't lie, I brought my laptop, fully intending on doing some writing, planning, and tweaking of classes. I am so glad that God had other plans. So, I wrote some notes in my calendar (yes, I brought that as well) and put it away.
Do you find it difficult to stop and let go of the "have-tos"? I love what I do and love the planning and tweaking but had to admit that I do need to stop and look up at times. Even though I make a point of taking a weekly sabbath, I am not on a "full stop." There are still things swirling around in my head that I need to put away in order to get the restful sleep that I need.
When we are to the point of having foggy brain and soul fatigue, and just plain tired, then we need to actively work on soul rest, which facilitates mind rest, which in turn, facilitates body rest. We were created with this connection: body, mind, spirit. Rest in one area impacts the others.
In her book "Rest Girl", Jamie Amerine says "When our minds feel defeated and we live a restless existence, that is what we see and experience." She states that more than sleepless nights and busy schedules, the source of exhaustion has more to do with our deep-seated beliefs and our mindset based on those well-intended beliefs, and that fear is the thief of real rest.
What are you thinking about when your head hits the pillow? All of those what-ifs are basically fears of the unknown. Then you make the mental to-do list and wonder what you forgot or should have done. Then, when you finally do get out of bed in the morning, the weight of it all bears down on you, causing you to feel defeated before you even start.
Practicing mindfulness and spirit rest is a worthwhile endeavor and helps us bear the weight of life's challenges. Emotional and mental weariness can be harder to overcome than physical tiredness.
"Have you considered the difference between soul rest and self-care? These two concepts often overlap. When we need rest, we tend to think about self-care or even self-comfort solutions. Self-care has to do with caring for our physical, mental, and emotional needs. Soul care happens when we trust Christ with our needs, relying on his presence and help to sustain us." (Ginger Harrington)
Escaping by binging Netflix is not soul care. It might be a quick fix, but not a solution. Rest is important. The bible mentions it 548 times!
Here are practices that you can try:
1. Do a daily "soul check". A journal is a handy tool for this. Ask yourself, what are my burdens? What am I carrying that does not belong to me? Can you release it and trust God? What is the worst that can happen if something doesn't get done? Address your barriers.
2. Close out your day. Before bedtime, write down anything on your mind, what did not get done, what needs to be done the next day, who needs what, who you need to call, etc. Then close the calendar. Close the book on it!
3. Plan everything but be flexible. I have found that using my calendar with nice size blocks facilitates tracking what I need to do. I write down everything! Appointments, calls, classes, errands, exercise times, etc. It is much better than using your phone calendar.
4. Connect with others. Conversations with close friends and like-minded, positive people encourages and builds our strong values and ethics. Connections with others is a component of optimal health.
5. Inhale some essential oils before bedtime. I like Lavendar, Cedarwood and Orange.
6. Practice breathing exercises. We have taught this in some of our classes.
Mindset and habit change facilitates building new pathways in the brain as you develop new and better habits for yourself. I will be scheduling the Forming and Maintaining Optimal Habits class soon, so stay tuned. This class will give you more tools to learn how to strategize your daily habits.
Remember to breath, rest and not be hard on yourself because you are worth it.
Liz
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