3 Simple Steps to Rest

Living in a busy world, I struggle to rest and often feel guilty resting. I’m always completing my to-do list and saving the world like a super woman that I just can’t stop to catch my breath. Whenever anyone needs me, I will drop everything to come to one’s rescue. By constantly running at a mile a minute and pushing myself harder, my mind, body, and soul ultimately crashes. As a result, God “makes me lie down in green pastures” and “he leads me beside quiet waters” (Psalm 23:2). Through this difficult lesson, I made it a priority to incorporate rest into my self-care routine so I can function as the best version of myself. 

Knowing the importance of self-care, I planned a day retreat where I hoped to fully rest my mind, body, and soul. During my retreat, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I needed to do that caused me anxiety by the end of the retreat. As I reflected on my retreat, I wondered if there was a way that I could actually focus on getting the rest I needed, so I created a fool proof solution with three simple steps to rest. When I tried planning a retreat again, I followed my three steps and I received relief from the busy world.  

By going through these three simple steps, you will make time for rest and you will fully restore and renew your mind, mentally, emotionally and physically.

Step One: Give Yourself Permission to Rest

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus wants us to rest and gives us permission to come to Him for rest. Therefore, we don’t have to feel guilty about resting. We all need physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional rest in order to thrive in this world, so you can give yourself some slack and give yourself permission to rest. When you feel rested, you will be able to thrive in this world.

Step Two: Plan How You’re Going to Rest and Mark on Calendar

Now that you’ve given yourself permission to rest, you can create a plan of how you’re going to spend time resting. Think about what makes you relaxed and what’s your happy place. Is there a place that puts a smile on your face? Is it going on a retreat or pampering yourself at the spa? Whatever it is, choose an activity that you truly enjoy and mark it on your calendar so you don’t forget.

Step Three: Protect Your Time With Boundaries

It’s easy to allow other important tasks to replace your rest time. That is why you need to give yourself permission to say “no” to certain things that may distract you from relaxing. Can you say “no” to responding to text messages or phone calls that may appear during your rest time? Can you set boundaries by not thinking about your to-do list for a couple of hours when you’re resting? Writing down your boundaries can help make rest a priority in your schedule. 

You Can Do It!

Rest is just as important as any other task because it will help you to be alive and well again. I hope this will help you to find rest by following these three simple steps and God will refresh your soul.  

Angie Lee is on a journey of personal growth to shine brightly. With a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology from Cal Poly and a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Cal State East Bay, she always imagined that her life would be a straight and easy path. But, instead of going on an idealistic straight path, she describes her life path as more of a hike in the woods, never knowing whether she will find a peaceful stream of water or a rocky up hill road. Her career paths have been as a project engineer, ESL teacher, instructional designer, technical writer, operations manager, and program manager. As she has walked a path through the wilderness, she’s learned to embrace and accept whatever comes along the journey, both the good and bad. As a writer, she is a storyteller sharing her personal journey to create positive change in this world and spark something good in others.

To follow Angie’s blog go to www.lightshinebrightly.com

 

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