I wasn't kidding when I said that this year was my year of rest.
The previous year was full of ups and downs for our family that took it's toll. I am just coming off a two week blogging break that I have never taken before in my 10 years of blogging. In blogging, two weeks is akin to taking off 5 years! In fact, I was even debating on whether or not I should even come back.
My husband just took two weeks off from work and we were able to spend time as a family and BREATHE. Why breathe? Because breathing is so important. Did you know that they say that people who are always busy and stressed only take short breaths and not full breaths with their diaphragm? In case you are wondering, that is not the healthiest way to live and breathing deep is absolutely good for you.
And we need space to just "be".
Be slow, be ourselves, be creative, and reflect.
To have silence.
To pause.
And to be still.
To do all the good things that can be left behind in the chaos of the daily grind.
The two weeks off was a treasure. A treasure that I don't want to leave behind. And I am figuring out how to incorporate that into the everyday of this year of rest.
While on this restful journey I have been catching up on some reading. I have been going through these three books right now:
It helps to bring the slow back to my life and to relish and enjoy that quiet time. Quiet time where I get to pour into myself.
It is so easy to forget about ourselves, but if we end up exhausted and burned out we are no longer good to serve anyone. It is okay to take care of ourselves. In fact, we need to!
Not taking care of ourselves can lead to stress and even health issues.We need to take care of ourselves and watch how we are spending our time, how we are eating and how we are resting. Are you carving out enough time in the day to do that?
Since I have a Type A personality, I can go, go, go all day long with a list of things I am prepared to tackle. But knowing that I have this type of personality I also have to make sure I pull back. Pull back and make sure I am doing what really matters.
My husband is good at helping me with that. Our personalities are different and his presence is a constant reminder of what is really important. I am glad there is someone around to help me back into the slow when it is needed!
A few other things I have been doing to purposefully rest is:
-making sure I get more sleep
-getting time to recharge (as an introvert, this is so important)
-creating a more quiet space in my bedroom
-saying "no" to unnecessary deadlines
-pulling back from online "work"
-doing what brings enjoyment to me and not just doing what I "think" I ought to do
-spending less time on social media
-doing what I used to love to do
-finding new things I enjoy doing now
I will share more on this in future posts, since I am sure you are struggling to rest too. It's okay if you have found yourself at this point and now you realize you need to change. We CAN turn the tide and get back to a place of rest. Remember, we can do this together! I will be blogging more about this to encourage us all in our on-going journey of desiring rest.
What do *you* do to find rest in your day?
Share with us in the comments below!
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8 comments:
First of all, blessings to you! I'm sorry that you have had a time full of ups and downs, and I pray that you are well now. I've read your blog for some time, and just in this post, you sound so renewed. I haven't read the other two books you mention, but I blogged about The Lifegiving Home today, too. Isn't that one such an encouraging resource?
When I'm overwhelmed, I find that praying my way through the Psalms helps. I also find rest in simply curling up with a good book during toddler naptime. Yes, there is housework that I could be doing, but as an introvert, I'm learning that I desperately need that time to decompress and just be for a little bit.
I can relate to the need to breathe ... I've been struggling with that lately. A friend was just sharing with me the importance of making time to recharge so this is a second witness. It's just hard to put it into practice with a busy schedule! One of the most relaxing things I like to do is build puzzles ... it doesn't take a lot of mental effort but it satisfies that part of me that finds fulfillment in accomplishing projects!
Thank you for the book recommendations!! I'm especially looking forward to reading The Life Giving Home!!! With five small babies at home, time to recharge is something I long for. But it can be tricky to find, at times. You've got me re-evaluating a few things, so I can work some quiet time into my days :)
Dear Amy,
Thank you for praying--I am still in the "healing" process and continue to rest. I have already planned intentional resting into my day today to make sure it happens. It really has to become a mindset or we can get easily swept up....I know I can! Yes, I am enjoying Life Giving Home too and working my way slowly through. No need to rush, right? :) I look forward to reading your post about it and thanks for sharing your tips for decompressing. I am learning too!
Yes, it IS hard to put it into practice! We have nine children and an online business so for us it can truly never end. But I love saying "no" to things too, but this time I had to be really strict with myself. I like a lot of the tips in the book "Breaking Busy" that I mentioned in the post and have read so far. I will share some of them here along with my thoughts in the future to help others who are struggling too.
Iris, I remember those days and how important it is to take a breather. I am glad you will be working on fitting some "slow and quiet" into your schedule--I know that has looked different for me at different stages when my children were younger and older. I know that praying to God and asking for His wisdom in the situation always helped. He would show me ways that I had never thought of. I hope He will do the same with you as well. Blessings to you and your family, Iris!
Hi June!
Thanks so much for this lovely post. It's not easy for me to find rest in my day, especially as a homeschooling mom! But I know I must try harder. :o) I'm really looking forward to getting into Sally Clarkson's book - the life giving home. Thanks so much for your recommendation.
BTW: Are you still doing the wise woman link-up?
Be blessed!
Tiffiney
Tifiney, thanks for stopping by! You will definitely be blessed by Sally's book. I am still homeschooling 6 children right now but have found ways to simplify even that to make the days easier. I am still doing the WW Linkup and will try to post it early tonight! :) Blessings to you too!
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