Have you trained yourself to rest?
It is like anything else you want to excel in — you have to set your schedule to rest.
It is Saturday morning, which would normally be my day of rest and relaxation. But I am writing my weekly Unleashing the Champion Within podcast and blog. I realized since the first of the year I have not been diligent at rest and relaxation.
Rest is time when you are not engaged in regular work.
Rest is where your mind is no longer engaged in the issues of your job.
How about you?
Sarah Green Carmichael wrote, “…regardless for our reason for working long hours, overwork does not help us.” In her article for Harvard Business Review, she lists multiple negative effects from working long hours; stress, health issues, higher heath insurance, missed work, less effective interpersonal communications, and lower overall performance.
Each of us has experienced these negative effects from working too hard and not resting enough. About 15 years ago, I was having problems with blurry vision in my right eye. My eye doctor could not diagnose the issue, so I went to a retina specialist. As it turns out, my vision obstruction was caused by STRESS! I had to learn to let go of work and allow myself to rest.
How do we train ourselves to rest?
It may sound a little strange if you have never scheduled rest, but it works!. You need to think about what you like to do and schedule it in. It might be a nap, watching a movie, taking a bike ride or trying a new restaurant. Whatever you enjoy doing!
I do this by advance planning. For example, as you can see below, my day off is Friday and Saturday morning I work, but I spend the remainder of the day resting. The same with Sunday, I work a part of the day and rest the remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Friday Schedule:
Tennis
Mall with my daughter
Dinner and evening spent with hubby
Saturday Schedule:
Prayer
Writing Blog/Podcast
Running
Remainder of the day is resting
Sunday Schedule:
Prayer
Church
Lunch
Remainder of the day is resting
Also, by scheduling in advance what needs to be done, it frees my mind from thinking about what needs to be done. It keeps me from churning the same thoughts over and over in my mind.
2) Training Your Mind To Rest
Training your mind is the same as training for a marathon – it takes discipline. It is a discipline to rest, so you must choose to keep on track and rest.
First, choose your day to rest. Hopefully you will have a full day for rest.
Decide in advance what you are willing to allow during your day of rest. My recommendation is to keep out all thoughts and actions that interfere with your rest.
3) Permission to Rest
Once you have decided to rest and have set a plan to rest now, you must give yourself permission to rest. Unhealthy self-talk has to be eliminated, including words like I should be doing the laundry or I feel so lazy not tacking the sales report. You cannot rest when that dialogue is running through your head.
No Guilt Allowed!
My challenge to you is to review your upcoming week and follow these proven steps to ensure you are successful at your rest.
Now find the time and schedule your time to rest!
In closing, I want to share an experience I had. Saturday morning, I was reading the Bible and talking with Jesus. I heard Jesus say in my heart.
Tomorrow is in front of us.
The past is behind us.
Today we rest.
I would love to hear from you. Leave your comment on my Facebook page by clicking here: CindyStewart or send me an email at cindy@Cindy-Stewart.com
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Remember, you are the best investment you can make.