TAKING TIME TO REST
It seems like we live in a world where people get a sense of accomplishment from being busy or by always having something on their plate. Even if it sounds counter-productive, I have learned that resting is the key to remaining faithful to my purpose. If I am tired or burnt out, I will not be able to do everything that I need to get done. In this article, I am going to share some of the ways that I have learned to take time to rest.
Schedule Rest
As my readers have probably figured out by now, I LOVE scheduling things! I tend to be the most productive when I know how I am going to spend my time. In my past article, 3 Steps for Maintaining a Hectic Schedule, I shared how I manage a hectic schedule through following a few simple steps. Scheduling rest is just one more component of maintaining a hectic schedule. For me, I know that my work week is Sunday through Thursday. Since the end of my work week is Thursday, I know that I am able to have rest days on Friday and Saturday.
I usually plan my days off so that I have one full day of wonderful, well needed introvert time! This may look like me staying in my pajamas all day and watching tv or going bargain hunting by myself. I know that not everyone is an introvert, so this may sound like an absolute nightmare to all of my extroverted readers! Basically, find what makes you come alive. If hanging out with people makes you flourish, then do that! If staying at home in a silent dark room makes you happy, go for it!
My second day off is the day that I know I need to run errands, clean the house and possibly hang out with some of my friends. I tend to schedule all of these things on the second day of rest, because I usually need to recharge from my work week with my introverted time first!
My method of resting may not fit your life or your schedule, so I would encourage you to find what works for you! I wanted to share what I do, so you have a little more insight into what it looks like to practically schedule rest into your week!
Learning to Say NO!!!
Repeat after me….NO….no thank you… thank you for the invite, but I will not be able to attend!
Another thing that I have found helpful in maintaining rest in my hectic schedule is the art of saying NO! I know for a lot of people, saying the word no is hard. Again, I realize that I am not extremely extroverted so this may come a bit easier for me. Regardless of your personality, everyone has the choice to say yes or no to a social engagement! When I receive an invitation to an event or engagement, I ask myself a couple simple questions….
"Will this be a restful situation or will I feel more tired after attending this?" and "If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to?”
The reasoning behind asking myself these questions is because in saying yes to a lot of things I am saying no to taking care of myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and I love hanging out with them, but if it comes to hanging out with them and me being miserably tired, I am usually going to prioritize myself first. Some might feel that this is a selfish way of looking at things, but if I am sick from not getting enough rest or I am in a zombie like state, everything else in my life will suffer, including my relationships. There are times when I am tired but I choose to still hang out. I do this because though I am tired, the fruit of me hanging out will bring joy to my life! Find whatever brings you joy!
Scheduling rest and learning to say no have been two of the most helpful things in living in a restful place while maintaining my life!
CHALLENGE: Take some time this week to intentionally plan rest. Go on a walk, have a pajama day, get coffee with a friend. Document your journey on social media by using the hashtag #faithfultomypurpose.