Rest…

Last week I had a rather difficult day…well, actually few days. I was antsy, snappy, weepy, and just couldn’t get it together. I already had a couple of days off from work due to nosebleeds as a result of the extreme pollen we were having in our area. Because I was well-rested, I expected to have a good day when I returned to work. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I was hit with one negative instance after another and quickly realized that I slept well, but I wasn’t necessarily well-rested. I say this because my head was still swarming with stuff for work, assignments for my Doctor of Ministry class, and still attempting to be Mommy and friend. I was thinking of the bills that needed to be paid, meals that needed to be cooked, clothes that needed to be folded, emails that needed to be answered, phone calls that needed to be returned, and the list goes on.

I didn’t rest.

So, what is rest? Rest is defined by Dictionary.com as “to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength”.

I didn’t rest.

My mind kept working because I had so much to do on top of not feeling 100%. So, by the time I got to work and encountered challenging situations, I was already overwhelmed and overworked. I couldn’t finish class and I barely made it through the staff meeting that day. Thankfully, I already had 2 days scheduled to take off and guess what? I rested. I left my work laptop in my office, I turned off the notifications for my personal emails, and I paused all of my alarms. I ate when I wanted, walked around in sweats, and didn’t do my hair. I kept Hall & Oates, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Beethoven, and Chuck Mangione on heavy rotation and just laid there. I feasted on the melodious waves and sipped on the sweet sound of peace. It was absolutely delicious.

I rested.

Every month I take a mental health/self-care day to get a massage and take myself to lunch. However, I can’t honestly say that I’ve been resting. Because afterward, I end up running errands and making my day longer than I anticipated. Last week was a reminder that it really is okay to take time out to rest. No matter how much time you need. Especially when you already have so much going on. Yes, I took the couple of days off before, but it wasn’t enough because I didn’t fully rest. Let me remind you like I had to remind myself, to rest…FULLY. Allow yourself to rest without worrying about work, home, or anything else that keeps your mind running. Allow yourself to rest without worrying about anything you don’t have control over. Allow yourself to rest without worrying about things getting undone. Bills will be there, meals can wait another day, and emails can be answered later. We can’t be our best selves without proper rest. We can’t excel at work, be present for our loved ones, and contribute to our overall positive health without proper rest.

Rest is holy. Rest is self-preservation. Rest is necessary. Rest is resistance (there’s a book on this that you should look up). Rest is love. Rest is peace. Rest is critical. Rest is mandatory. Rest is wonderful. Rest is delicious.

Rest.