We are busy doing, running, meeting our schedules and those of our families. The schedules often take over our day and before we know it, the day is done and we feel exhausted. So many times we do not stop until we have to. It isn’t until we get sick or have an accident that we pay attention.
Wouldn’t it be better for us, if we could pay attention to those signals of moving too fast, doing too much and overloading our system, before it starts to break down? We don’t pay attention because when we get going, our warning signals get overridden by the activity.
It’s not until we have to rest and reflect that we see what has happened. And that rest is so important to build up our reserves again and to reflect on how we can make changes.
Stress affects our body, mind and spirit and we need time to recuperate.
When we feel that we can not rest even though we know we need to, we have to take mini-breaks to replenish until we can have a good, solid rest. That includes drinking plenty of fluids -especially water, calming our nervous system by soothing music, colors,sound, food, and people. That prescription really works when we are depleted and need rest and healing.
Depending on how run down we feel, healing can take some time. This is a challenge for those of us who are used to having busy schedules.We need to pace ourselves and stop when we feel tired or have low energy. There are so many ways to take care of ourselves. There are healing movies, books, and programs that inspire and uplift us. When we are not feeling our best selves, it’s time to pause and rest. Prayer and meditation helps and so does appreciating who we are.
Rest and sleep are gifts. They by themselves bring us an opportunity to rejuvenate our bodies and minds. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.”