As you are planning for this new year, it is significant to remember the gift of rest. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day demands and responsibilities that rest often gets ignored.
Webster’s Dictionary defines rest as:
- freedom from activity or labor
- peace of mind or spirit
- to be free from anxiety or disturbance.
It is clear that rest is required to maintain mental health. So why is it that getting rest, and for some, even mentioning the need for rest, is so difficult?
Enemies of Rest
There are many enemies to rest. The first enemy of rest is the notion that you can sleep later. You can put in the hard work, and you will only stop when the work is done. While hard work and long hours are needed to grow and influence in certain spheres, the neglect of rest can delay and even derail that progression.
Another enemy of rest is it being negatively associated with laziness. While rest can include a state of inactivity, this inactivity is intentional. It has a purpose. The purpose of rest is to recharge so that one can better operate towards a set goal. While the purpose of laziness is to avoid a set goal.
Make Rest A Priority
The human body is not designed to and cannot support going 100%, full-on at all times. Living this way is a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual breakdown in the making.
Rest is required for regeneration of the body, regulation of emotions, renewing of the mind, and the refreshing of the spirit.
Many of us have exchanged the gift of rest for something else, some willingly and some not. If you find that anxiety, depression, life transitions, spiritual concerns, relationship troubles, or perfectionism have kept you from the ability to enjoy rest, there are trained Therapists that can assist you in examining these concerns.
Happy 2023! May you enjoy the gift of rest this year.
Written by: GROW Staff
