Today, as I sit on the beach, I am reminded of 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. When speaking on rest, I’m not referring simply to sleep. Rest is so much more.

Webster’s defines rest as “a: freedom from activity or labor; b: peace of mind or spirit; c: to be free from anxiety or disturbance.”

Webster’s Dictionary

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 in the 21st century. The first enemy of rest is the notion “I’ll grind now and sleep later.” While hard work and many 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 lumped together 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. Laziness has the purpose of avoidance of a set goal.

Although this is not an exhaustive list of mindsets that oppose rest, it can serve as a good initial myth-buster of what rest is and what it is not.

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.

It’s my hope that you can begin to, or once again, enjoy the gift of rest.

Written by: Latoya Brown