Three months had passed and I was still so exhausted and weak. It took all I had to get out of bed and get a shower. The doctor ran numerous tests to determine what could be the cause of my excessive tiredness, but to no avail. Finally the doctor looked straight into my eyes and concluded, “I think you just wore your body out, you just need to rest.” As it turned out, she was exactly right! (Note: This might not be the case for everyone, so if you are experiencing the same, talk to your doctor!)
Prior to this experience I was a full-time college student working an internship year round for years at a church and at times picking up additional work. I took no time to intentionally rest, reflect or pause. Honestly the thought never even crossed my mind. After college I launched right into full time work. And lived in an apartment along a busy road that woke me up multiple times a night, most nights.
Though these years were hard on my body they were also a gift to me. I loved that season of my life. And for the most part, I wouldn’t trade a thing. And at the same time, I learned a very hard lesson.
Bite-sized Truth: God designed our bodies to need restorative rest, and I needed to be intentional about listening to my body and establishing a healthy rhythm.
Since then, I have carefully studied what kind of rest and how much I need. I have found that I crave the following for restorative rest in a daily, seasonal, or yearly rhythm:
- A good night's sleep, averaging 8 hours.
- Time with God on a regular basis.
- Create things that breathe life to me, such as New Day Planners! Go check it out! www.newdayplanners.com
- Spend time with extended family and friends.
- Stay home as a family 2 evenings a week.
- Take weekend getaways or adventurous family vacations.
Bite-sized Tip #1: In order to create a meaningful and restful vacation, consider what forms of restorative rest you crave in a daily, seasonal, or yearly rhythm.
Each of the above rhythms of rest could have their own bite-sized blog but for the next couple of weeks we are going to zero in on one: How to Plan a Meaningful and Restful Vacation, so stay tuned!