There is something terribly dangerous about resting. That state of absence where we are not obliging our bodies or minds to any activity can mean relinquishing any opportunities that might come our way. Resting means we give up control– if but for a day or a few hours– and we allow the world to continue as it wills.
I need rest, badly. This week was incredibly busy, and I have not felt this spent for months. Exhaustion can sometimes only be described as a state where the gears in our brains don’t seem to be turning, no matter how hard we try to crank them. We feel that loss of life within our hearts and spirits, drained and unable to pour out as much as we would like.
Resting takes courage. Resting says, “I am okay with what I’m missing. I’m okay with what I can’t do. I recognize my limits. I submit to my own needs.”
We are not a culture that likes to rest. In fact, those of us all too familiar with the work-hard-play-hard mentality understand that life can only be measured by intensity. We are comfortable on either end of the spectrum– intense work or intense play– but there is an ominous gap in the middle that we find terrifying. The place where neither work nor play happen. The place of rest.
The amazing thing about resting, however, is that its impact is manifested in both work and play. When I am rested, I can dig deeper into myself for patience, creativity, compassion, and conviction. When I am rested, I work more efficiently. I think more creatively. I laugh more heartily. I enjoy things more deeply.
The courage to rest is the courage to invest, in a sense, in our experience of life. Slowing down comes with little to show for our efforts, except that the quality of our experiences will be much improved.
The courage to rest is also the courage to accept that others may not rest with us. It is the willingness to be slower than someone else, to be less busy, less in demand, less accomplished.
And hopefully in that less, there will be more. More peace. More joy. More creativity. More vision.
I hope you find peace in allowing yourself to rest this weekend. Have a good one!
This is beautiful! I love this part especially–––”…but there is an ominous gap in the middle that we find terrifying…” If that doesn’t scare you to bed I don’t know what will. It slowed me down (that I know for sure!).
These words ring so true. This is exactly what I needed to hear today, so thank you 🙂
Thanks lady!! <3
Amen sister:) The sermon at church today was all about taking a Sabbath!! Love this!
Thank you so much Marlen, that is so kind of you! I make lists too, and I try to let go of the fact that I don’t always finish them. I rejoice in what I do get done and try to remember that day is made good by experiences and not accomplishments!
Ah thanks lady!!
Thanks Anna!! I love to enjoy things without feeling the pressure multi-task as well. Even TV!!
Thank you so much Tiffany!! 🙂
I’m so glad you found this encouraging!! Sometimes I fill up my “free time” so much that I need a break from that– it’s important to find balance.
This is exactly what I needed right now, you’re always spot-on with your posts. These past three weeks I’ve been trying to kick it into gear and do everything I can as much as I can. Half the time I feel very productive and feel on top of things, but then the other half of the time I beat myself up when I don’t finish everything on the list. It’s sort of a vicious cycle because the list only grows bigger and bigger. It’s always nice when someone reminds you to slow down- and that it’s okay not to do it all!
xo marlen
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I love this post Daisy! This is something I forget to do. I feel like in always thinking about drafting the next post or something. Sometimes, I decide that I will take an evening to just do an activity I enjoy or even just to watch TV without multitasking. These days though, I haven’t been doing that so much. I do read for a hour or so before bed every night. Thanks for this reminder!
This is a really great post! Recently I’ve slowed down and actually have had some really fun and productive alone time! Its really nice to take a break and give yourself attention sometimes!
Xx, Tiffany | http://www.sunshinedaydreamphotography.com
Yes, yes, yes! I have been trying desperately to slow down lately. I’ve been successful in some ways, and in other ways I’m completely overwhelmed. This past week was my spring break, but it was not full of rest, unfortunately. I had lots of fun exciting things going on, but now I need a break from my break, you know? For the next month I’m going to try to say no to events and meetups, and simply rest. Today I realize I really need that!
Daisy, you did share that what he was studying and I’m so glad that this is something he is focusing upon while he is in schoo. Developing the practice now will only benefit his as he establishes his practice. We all have to have time to fill ourselves up after giving to others.
Yes absolutely!! I don’t know if I told you that my husband is studying to be a psychologist, and this is really really important for him. I know that in the helping professions there can be so much burden that you carry for others, and it’s important to have a space to put that aside.
Thank you so much Brittany! It’s hard for me to be away from my phone but it’s helped me realize that pinterest is not true resting! 🙂 It’s so good to find things that truly offer a haven for your mind and soul!
Thank you so much Christina! And yes, it’s amazing how resting actually improves my motivation, whereas when I’m exhausted I just don’t feel like working hard at anything!
Thank you so much Joy! Yes, some seasons are just busier than others… and we have to be creative about how we find rest in those quiet moments!
Thank you Brittany! And yes, that’s what I’m doing tomorrow! Going to slow down, maybe sit outside and make some lemonade. 🙂
That is awesome. I love those relaxed days… that’s what my glasses and sweats are for! 😉
Ah so glad this resonated with you Chelsea! 🙂
Thank you so much!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Absolutely– I’m so glad this resonated with you Rachana!
Thank you Shaguna!! Vietnam sounds absolutely amazing– and I agree, the partying is probably not the best part! So glad you saved your energy for other activities 🙂
Thank you so much Lee!! That’s exactly it. Have a great weekend!
This is such an important part of self care. Our society has us each believing we MUST be doing something at all times and the reality is we gain energy from resting. I hope you are able to get some rest this weekend!!
This is such a great reminder Daisy 🙂 Taking time to slow down helps you become more refreshed and energized! It’s so hard in today’s world to disconnect and take time to truly REST because of technology and instant updates, but I’m going to make a point to step away from things that cause me stress and do things that make me happy and relaxed 🙂
This is something I really struggle with as well. Sometimes I’m afraid that if I allow myself to rest, I won’t ever be able to get my “hustle” back and that I’ll become lazy and unmotivated. Which is quite silly, because it couldn’t be further from the truth. Being well-rested allows me to pull more from myself creatively and to be able to become proactive instead of reactive.
Great post, Daisy! I hope you have a fabulous weekend as well 🙂
Another great post, Daisy!! I think this is something my family learned the value of last year when much of what we were investing our time in proved to be really awful, and we just had to stop it all for a while. It was a hard year in many ways, but I treasure what we gleaned from it.
That said, we are doing a crazy schedule now, and it’s hard to find rest. But I try to grab it where I can — shut down, order take-out, forget about the mess that needs attention, or whatever. Because you’re absolutely right, rest is so very important.
Such good words, Daisy — especially coming into a weekend when I can put them into action! Or I suppose by resting, not putting them into action. 😉 Rest is wonderful and enjoyable in itself (once I get past the emotions of feeling like I’m missing out on something, like you said), but I also love the idea that it helps us to more deeply enjoy people, experiences, work, and play. There isn’t much on the books for this weekend, so I think I’ll spend a few hours away from electronics, reading and napping. Thanks for the timely reminder!
There will be lots of resting tomorrow morning. Most Saturdays the three of us sleep in. Then if we do have something to do, we worry less about what we wear, how we look. I enjoy the Saturday errands because I can toss my hair back and slap on some BB cream. The energy of Saturday is just refreshing. I hope you find some time for yourself Daisy. I love that you’re not afraid to admit when you need a break. (:
http://www.accordingtokiki.net
Resting takes courage. Resting says, “I am okay with what I’m
missing. I’m okay with what I can’t do. I recognize my limits. I submit
to my own needs.” Yes, yes, yes. It’s difficult for me to rest sometimes, I almost get to the end of my emotional rope before I recognize the need for boundaries. But they are all TOO important. Thanks for the challenge and reminder 🙂
Beautifully written! 🙂 I think rest is important – but like many things in life, you never notice until you don’t get enough of it. Time to decompress is something I find really necessary and valuable, being an introvert.
Hope you have a restful weekend!
Away From The Blue
You’re absolutely right. And it’s almost like it’s getting harder to rest, what with all the instant updates we get all the time. And when I do rest, I feel kind-of guilty, like I should be working on something. Anyway, great post – it really resonated with me.
http://www.scribblingmyexistence.wordpress.com
I definitely agree with this. I was on holiday in Vietnam, and all my friends wanted to go party after a long day of touring. I politely declined every time.
Shaguna
I pinned this to my “Simply Minimal” Pinterest board. I think we (the human collective) DO need to rest more. To know that it okay to miss a few things…so we can be present for important things. 🙂
Have a restful weekend!
~Lee