Finding Rest and Restoration
“How is it with your soul?” – John Wesley
I knew I had reached my breaking point. I needed to get away; I was tired, and my soul was hungry.
Amid some challenging days, I tried to manage my emotions so others couldn’t see what I was going through. Trying to keep a lid on everything was unsuccessful and stressful.
When I am under negative stress, it manifests in non-verbal ways--- headaches, insomnia, panic attacks, and passionless work to name a few. During these times, when my brain hears a question, situation, decision, or thought, my body can’t resist working overtime to find a solution for a positive outcome. Most times, there wasn’t a clear answer. It was exhausting.
I am not alone. According to many scholastic and scientific websites, the average person makes 35,000 decisions daily.
That is crazy!! Think of that type of activity when you are tired.
This brought to mind two questions: First, how can we prioritize taking time to rest and restore to have better relationships and live a fuller life? Second, how can we support our loved ones, friends, and co-workers who seek rest when they are burned out because they are exhausted?
In my previous career, I was fortunate to have a significant amount of vacation time that afforded me opportunities to take multiple breaks throughout the year. The rhythm between work and breaks was welcomed by my body. To this day, my body still feels that rhythm. Yet, that was a chapter titled, “Single Life.”
Almost ten years later, rest has become more important to me in this chapter of marriage with stepchildren, grand kids, living in a new city, and working a new career.
I recognize pushing through life while exhausted doesn’t produce the desired outcomes in work, relationships, and life in general.
When I seek rest, I seek solitude. I seek a place to empty my cares and take time to cry, sleep late, pray, write, detox from the realities of the world, and talk with my husband (sometimes). It’s like emptying myself.
Recently, I spent five days in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. As I inhaled the fresh mountain air, it was like medicine my soul was longing to have. Witnessing the sunrise over the mountains while listening to birds chirp as I sat on the porch were a few of the God sightings that pulled me into a state of relaxation. By the end of our time in the Smokies, I felt lighter, refreshed, and relaxed.
Life is full of wonderful moments and experiences for us to enjoy. Yet, there are unpleasant moments we must go through. God wishes for us to live life experiencing all he has for us. I understand some people are challenged with prioritizing a time of rest, whatever that looks like for that person. Many of us are caretakers, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, breadwinners, and this list can go on. We may tell ourselves, “If I don’t, who will?”
I remember the day my co-worker and friend passed away. She didn’t show up at her scheduled time to work. It was later we found out that she suffered a stroke. She passed away days later. She was a kind, generous woman who cared for many and didn’t prioritize herself. Within days of her passing, her desk was cleaned out, and within a few weeks, the position was filled.
When I think of her, I am reminded that employers will replace you, and your family will miss you when you leave this earth. Caring for ourselves through rest can help us balance our lives and be better versions of ourselves.
What does rest and restoration look like for you?
