Soulful Healing

I used to be one of those “I can rest when I’m dead” type of people.  In my early twenties, I had a color-coded schedule that was filled with tasks & activities from the moment I woke up until I fell into bed each night.  I was so over-the-top that I harshly judged people who didn’t engage in the same level of activity as me.  It worked pretty well for me, to a point.  Since I never rested (and felt anxious when I did rest), my body had to create reasons for me to rest…  like frequent illnesses, headaches, and injuries.  And let’s face it, resting in that way is no fun.

This go, go, go attitude is rampant in our culture.   There’s the guy who has to zoom around me in traffic so he can get to the next stoplight faster, only to sit in his car right next to mine.   There is the harried “soccer mom” trucking her kids from school to ballet to soccer to tutoring to home.  As you read this, if you are recognizing your own non-stop activity level, I want to let you know there is a better way.  While I used to hate resting, like a child who is afraid to nap because she might miss something, I now find that some of my favorite moments are the ones when I get to just be.

Perhaps one of the hardest lessons to learn in life is that we all have limits.  Human time, energy, and experience is finite.  At the end of the day, we all need to rest and recharge our batteries for the next day.  If we don’t eat, we don’t have energy to get through the day.  If we don’t rest, we get irritable and confused at best and, at worst, our bodies and minds become broken down.  If you are someone who is always on the go, I know it is difficult to comprehend making the shift to someone who allows for rest.  You might even think that rest is for lazy people.  Or maybe you’ve tried choosing to rest, but only end up feeling antsy.  Have faith; there is hope!

In the end, I think choosing to rest yields the same balance of activity and down-time as does going non-stop all the time, only to be knocked down for a week by the latest flu virus.  Why not thoughtfully choose restful moments, so that you can actually enjoy them without the headaches, sniffles, and body aches?  Making small changes now means that you can choose incremental shifts here and there…  Maybe taking a 5 minutes a day to center yourself.  Or 30 minutes on your day off to go outside and appreciate nature.  Whatever you find restful, make an effort this week to set aside some small amount of time to allow yourself to be still.  Your mind and sense of obligation might resist at first, but you, your coworkers, and loved ones will eventually grow to appreciate the rested and peaceful version of you.