The Importance of Rest

This one is for all my energizer bunnies out there.

And for the ones who feel the constant pressure to keep up with the “boss girl” trend. (Or guy, that pressure is not subject to one gender here).

To the ones who feel like if they stop for a second, they’ll fall behind in life.

This one’s for you. The one who feels like they aren’t worthy if they rest and “take breaks.”

I’ve definitely been there.

Growing up, people always complimented me in my achievements and such in life. This itself is not a bad thing. I had a good support system of people who loved and encouraged me to do a good job in what I was involved in in life. However, my mind told me that I had to keep doing this. To keep succeeding, to keep doing more, to prove myself worthy, and to keep at it or I would lose their love or respect for me, becoming a failure in their eyes. I allowed a good thing to run rampant, and eventually that good thing turned into a toxic thing in my mind. This kind of striving led to me being worn out and exhausted.

Even though I was feeling completely drained, I still kept on striving. I still kept pushing through the burn out, keeping my schedule full and feeling like if I stopped that I wasn’t doing enough, like if I took a moment to rest I would become a failure. Because of my striving, I developed a case of imposter syndrome (though I didn’t realize this until years later).

I remember that in the height of this season of my life, right before I realized the imposter syndrome, someone in my circle commented *in a derogatory way* that I was the type of person who needed to “take breaks.” That I couldn’t keep up with the demand and what I needed to do so I had to take breaks. Of course this just added to the feelings of imposter syndrome that I already had, and that I didn’t measure up to others’ expectations, the same ones that I had already placed on myself I might add.

It wasn’t until I read a book by Jordan Lee Dooley called Own Your Everyday that I realized I was suffering from this imposter syndrome mentality.

In Jordan’s book, there is a whole chapter devoted to imposter syndrome. When I saw the title of the chapter, I kinda laughed and thought to myself that this chapter wouldn’t apply to me. Boy was I so wrong. The more I read it, the more I was like whoa… this seriously is me.

It was then I knew I needed to make a change. I knew that I needed to take some more time for myself. To invest more time to rest, and to invest more into my health. The truth was, I was sacrificing my health for what? Other people’s opinions?

In the Old Testament of the Bible, we see in several places about honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy. It’s revered as such an important thing that it was even listed as one of the 10 Commandments.

Even God himself deemed it important. I mean, after six days of creating the earth and everything contained in it, He rested. The entire seventh day of the creation story 

is dedicated to resting. Since God is, well, God, He simply wouldn’t need to rest. In this though, He was setting the example for us, showing us the importance of rest.

The point is, resting is important. Our bodies weren’t meant to truck along, and God didn’t create us to mindless and relentlessly work. We were also meant to rest and enjoy.

Part of investing in yourself is creating the space to rest. If you aren’t accustomed to it, you may feel restless or guilty for doing so, but let me tell you it is a need. You can’t skip on rest.. I mean, it was so important that not only did God model it for us, but he also set it in stone (literally) as a need-to-do, no ifs, ands, or buts. 

The reality of it is, you can’t skip on rest. Rest is vital for so many of our body’s functions. Among those things are better mental health, increased concentration and memory, a healthier immune system, reduced stress, and improved mood. When you rest and take the time to enjoy life, you’ll also be able to be more productive in the rest of your week as well.

View it this way: resting is an investment in your overall productivity. 

Now when I say rest, I don’t mean just relaxing on your couch watching the newest episode of your favorite show, though that could be included. It also means doing that hobby you enjoy (and no, not for profit… just for fun), or soaking up some rays of sun as you take a hike, or having a cup of coffee with a friend.

When I say rest, I mean doing something you enjoy and giving your body the chance to unwind, let loose, and relax. Something that you don’t feel pressured to do, but just want to do because it’s fun and you find rest in it.

I think sometimes we can take life too seriously, not leaving any time for the things we enjoy doing. The thing is, God has given us these different interests, hobbies, and passions to enjoy. To rest in doing them.

Resting and taking the time to just enjoy life are so important. Giving yourself the “okay” to relax is crucial to how your body functions. People invest in what they view as worthwhile. Taking the time to rest will not set you back in life. On the contrary, it will set you up to make better use of your time here. It’s time to start investing more in yourself and your health.

Sincerely,

A woman who doesn’t want you to fall in the same trap

Caleigh

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An adventurer and coffee enthusiast at heart, Caleigh Ball has a passion for reaching out to others to inspire them to live with intention and purpose. As an ordained minister, she spends her time ministering as a youth pastor and is actively involved in Arise Ministries as the vice president and bookkeeper as well as one of the ministers. She enjoys life with her husband, Emmanuel, and their cat, Alaska, in their home state, Almost Heaven West Virginia.

Find Caleigh on Instagram at @caleigh.ball