What is hindering you from being well-rested and what you can do about it.
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”
– Alan Cohen
I don’t watch a lot of television or subscribe to one of the many streaming services and this shocks my middle school students. I do, however, watch the local news and there is a commercial that a company frequently airs that uses our need for rest as its selling point. The ad urges us to buy their product and we will become well-rested. This company is wise to offer a product to counteract something many of us struggle with. I smile when I see ads like this because we all know that having the “right product” might help provide rest but that is only one small part of the recipe.
Rest is something our bodies need to be healthy and we should not confuse it with the need for sleep. Sleep is the unconscious state our bodies uses to restore itself. Multiple studies show that depriving a person of sleep can lead to impairment, poor physical health, disorientation and hallucinations.
Rest is different. Rest means to refresh and also to cease from labor. You can rest without sleeping and you can sleep without resting but both are things we need. Because rest is something we need, it is wise to look and discover what can hinder us from getting it.
1. Overscheduling
Of all the things that can prevent us from getting rest, one of the biggest is being overscheduled. There are weeks when I have something going every
night. A dear friend of mine knows what I mean. When her kids were small, she would load all three in the car and drop them off at various activities in different locations. After the third child arrived at his destination, my friend would drive back and collect them one by one. The whole evening held about two hours of driving. A schedule similar to this, regularly, can prevent us from resting and it’s no surprise that it wears us out before the week is half-way complete.
2. Worrying
Worry is another enemy of rest. From finances to health issues, worry can permeate our whole being with just a few minutes of thought. I find that I am most vulnerable to worry at the very time that I should receive rest and that is bedtime or when I wake up in the middle of the night. Sometimes my mind goes a million miles a second when I’m trying to sleep and I am prone to ponder the things I worry about the most. If we’re not watchful of our thoughts, rest and refreshment will not be possible.
3. Dissatisfaction with life
Dissatisfaction with life is also a competitor with rest. I have known people throughout my life that live in a state of dissatisfaction. They have no experience with inner contentment and rest.
These people focus on everything negative about life, assuming that if anything can go wrong, it will happen to them. I have read several sources where research has shown that these people are prone to developing heart disease and other major health
issues, not to mention they are no fun to be around.
Is there any hope of thwarting these things that prevent us from resting? Can we move to a place in our lives where we can benefit from rest? Yes, we can!
1. Overscheduling is a choice, not something that just happens.
For you to be truly rested, the word you need to learn to use is, “No.” You need not be on every committee. You need not go to every event that you hear about. You should not overschedule your children. Take the time to consider which activities are energizing for each member in your house and choose and commit to one. One activity for each member of your family can still be a lot to have on your plate but it eliminates some over scheduling.
2. Worrying is the enemy of rest.
God knows this and He states many times in the Bible that we need rest. God tells us in Matthew 11:28 to, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He also describes what He
desires for our lives in Psalm 23. “He leads me beside the still waters, he restores my soul.” If we hang on to the things that often are not within our control, rest will bypass us. God wants us to give our worries over to Him and let Him deal with them; not unlike a child, who cannot lift a heavy object when a parent is standing close by, eager to help. Ask yourself, “Do you have any control over this?” If the answer is yes, put some action into solving the problem. If not, give it to God and ask Him to deal with it.
3. Contentment in life comes with being grateful for what we have.
A trendy saying right now is, “That’s a First World Problem.” I rarely like anything that is trendy because I think people jump into them without giving it much thought but this statement, at least for those of us who are fortunate enough to grow up in America, is a good barometer for a reality check.
Next time dissatisfaction threatens to steal your rest, focus on the many things you have to be grateful for. Contentment will follow this mental pattern.
True rest is the calming of the body, mind and spirit. We can all benefit from the rewards of rest.
