If you want to find rest within the rat race you’ll need to be intentional about seeking it out. Then you’ll need to guard it with your life!
Wouldn’t you say when something is very important to you that you need to guard it to make sure it stays safe and sound?
Where do you find rest?
For me it’s during a quiet morning before the rest of my family emerges. Maybe for you it’s taking a walk in the woods or by the ocean. Maybe it’s allowing yourself to unplug from the world and listen to your favourite music. You could give your brain a break by working up a sweat in nature or in a group class.
Learning to rest
Learning to rest takes practice. Have you ever watched a little kid learning to ride a bike? She tries and tries. With the help, encouragement and support of an adult, she finally is able to ride on her own.
Learning to rest takes practice and a shift in your perspective and expectations while you learn.
Perspective Baby.
You need to analize the lenses you’ve been viewing yourself and your life through.
When you look through your Monday glasses do you think, “I’ll work through dinner tonight if I need to. My family is important to me but they can wait one more day while I pull things together.” You get home, get cranky and crash….and do it again tomorrow.
How about Tuesday? So you put your Tuesday glasses on and think, “I’m too tired to get up and exercise before work. Yeah, yeah, I know that I’ll feel better and it will clear my mind but I need the rest.” (If you want to find rest in the rat race, you’ll need to start valuing yourself more than the feeling of comfort!)
Wednesday rolls around and you put on a new pair of glasses. These ones are helpful (you think) but they actually side track you! “If I ignore that voice that says I need (a break, more sleep) nothing bad will happen and I will feel accomplished.
Wrong!
If you ignore your deepest needs your physical body will pay a toll. Your spiritual needs of purpose and fulfillment will be left out on the line to shrivel up. You will start to experience “brain fog” and find it more difficult making decisions. You won’t have much left of your heart to give to those you love and you might treat them in ways you regret.
Become the kid who never gives up hope
What if you chose to view yourself with a new pair of glasses. How would it benefit your life if you believed “I can have more time for myself if I accept help from others. I am strong when I ask for help.”
What if your sunglasses helped refresh your perspective. “Taking time for myself makes me a better person, mom and fabulously confident woman.”
Evaluate your priorities. What would you need to value to have the rest you want? Personally I put way too much emphasis on valuing comfort which held me back from experiencing the life I wanted. Now comfort is way down on my priority list. It comes naturally to me as a side-effect of pursuing my greater values of family, integrity, passion, impact, etc.
To put it bluntly, you will need to step out of your comfort zone to experience rest. It’s not as scary as you think. It’s not as hard as you think. It’s not as overwhelming to develop a practice of resting and refreshing as you think. The world won’t fall apart when you take time for yourself.
You are capable. You are able. Allow yourself to fumble around while you develop restful times that work for you. You’ll discover that you are worth it. Your health is worth it. Your sanity is worth it.
And Pssst…Don’t forget!
Group Coaching starts April 27th. Get my support/coaching and the support of other fabulous, like-minded women on your journey towards more personal growth!! Check out details HERE.
With Love,
Amy
