Rest

Today, it seems that rest is a foreign concept.

We live in America. We are in a go-go-go society, and we seem to get reputation points for doing as much as we can squeeze into our 168 hour week.

Yet we also live in a society where one gets reputation points for being as "healthy" as possible- going to the gym, eating right, everything organic, taking Epsom salt baths, washing your hair with eggs and honey, using cleaning supplies that double as an afternoon snack...

Where do these two collide? Adults need a recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night, not each week. If we are only good enough when we are working, volunteering, and being healthy for 140 hours out of our week,  how are we giving our bodies time to recuperate?

I myself have been more guilty of this than I would like to let on. Even now I am tempted to list off everything I was committed to during my nine years of high school, Undergrad, and Graduate school... showing how cool I was because I was so busy... but I was barely sleeping! Trust me, it's not cool for a college sophomore to actually sleep at night.

Now that I am taking a break from Grad school and I am only working part time, I finally get the pleasure of getting a full night of sleep. But alas, I realize that isn't all that rest entails. I may sleep eight hours each night, but that only gives my body rest. I am not just a body. I am a spirit, I have a soul, and I live in a body. If I only care for my physical body, I am depriving myself the care my whole self needs.

Lucky for me, I have the answer for true rest. It is within my reach. It is available to me whenever I want it. The problem is, I so often ignore it.

Jesus can give true rest. Rest of the Spirit, of the Soul, of the Body. We only need to ask.

But it's already known that physical rest isn't "cool". Does that stigma apply to spiritual rest also? As a Christian, is our Christian reputation dependent on always emptying ourselves, but never stopping to fill up? We see this so often in church volunteers- going to every service, volunteering at each of them, attending every event, and spending any free time planning the events themselves.

Don't get me wrong- this isn't bad! Just like it isn't bad to volunteer in the community, work full time, have hobbies, and going to the gym at all hours. But just as we don't think it's okay to spend a day doing nothing in order to recharge our bodies, we don't always think it's okay to step back from "Christan" activities and responsibilities to spend quiet time in the Word.

I don't claim to have all the answers. I don't have some magic equation of doing things and doing nothing... I don't know exactly how many things to volunteer for is the maximum... I don't know the minimum and maximum hours one should spend at work. In fact, I wish someone would tell me the magic equation! I only know that if we don't stop to care for our whole selves, we are going to run out of steam long before planned.

I don't want to run out of steam. I want to honor the hours I have been given, while also honoring the spirit and body I have been given.

For now, I try to follow these guidelines:

-Sleep at least 7-9 hours each night. If sick, sleep more. Attempt to sleep at normal hours- when it's dark. Don't confuse the body more than needed...

-When I'm sleepy, drink water. Stand in bright lights. Eat an apple. Do some jumping jacks. I am lucky in that I don't like coffee (trust me, I've tried to like it) because it has no nutritional value and is addictive (don't act like this is shocking), so therefore I don't want to depend on it to wake up.

-Develop night time habits that will aid sleep, not deter from sleep. I try not to eat or drink anything after 9pm- 7 pm on a really good day. I try to exercise during the day, but not right before bed. I attempt to eat the bulk of my sugar earlier in the day. When I get in bed, I try to minimize the amount of light stimulation on my eyes.

-Don't take naps unless absolutely necessary. College Sybra would get mad at me on this one. clearly naps mean more sleep and therefore are good! Unfortunately, they just screw up a regular sleep schedule. Of course, on sick days naps are encouraged because the body is literally in a war with those stupid germs.

-Read the Bible. This is that "whole self" rest I was referring to earlier. This gives me peace, assurance in God's plan/timing, and (surprise!) reading is a restful activity. Currently I am reading through the whole Bible in order, which takes out the guesswork of what to read- making it even more restful!

-Attend a church service. When I say attend, I mean attend. Once a week is ideal. Have a service where you don't volunteer, you don't have to get there early or stay late, you don't have to practice or prepare. Just leisurely arrive (even late is fine) find a seat (closer doesn't mean you're better) and just listen. Soak it in. Fill up.

-Have fun! Non-obligatory, non-stressful fun. Fun for me can mean a puzzle, a board game, a movie, a bike ride, or a fun date. I just love having the free time to do things that don't strain me mentally.

And of course, I pray.