The Importance of Rest

Last Sunday my family was stuck in our house for the entire day. We usually go to church both in the morning and evening on Sundays, but there was an ice storm that caused church to be rescheduled to Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. This left us with an entire day open and no where to go because of the roads.

We were left with the dilemma of what to do with ourselves. Do we work on the house? Do we do laundry? The dishes? Pick up our rooms? These were things we felt like we needed to do because it is so important to be productive with our time.

However, there was a part of me that felt like it would be just as beneficial for us to relax and enjoy the day without doing any of those chores. It was not like they were going anywhere. They would be left for us to do tomorrow, or the next day. Right?!

Well, here is what we ended up doing. We watched an entire season of Cake Boss: Next Great Baker. Yes, you heard me correct, the entire season. It was Season 2 to be exact. It only had ten episodes. I have to admit, I really enjoy that show.

Anyhow, I found myself feeling guiltily at times because I was not up doing those things that needed to be done. There was this internal battle waging inside of my head. One side would tell me not to waste my day and the other would remind how important rest is to a person.

You see, my week had been filled with preparing for two huge training sessions with our guest services’ teams. I found myself getting up early and going to bed late. It was a busy week. The training times were very successful, however, the busyness of the week had taken its toll. I was very tired both mentally and physically. I needed a chance to recoup and recharge my batteries.

And that is what I did by laying on the church and enjoying a mindless break for a few hours. It was very refreshing. And it enabled me to get up the next day feeling ready to tackle a new week.

So, if you are like me, naturally wired to work hard but too stubborn a lot of times to rest. Listen to someone who has finally seen the light, rest is a good thing. It is a vital thing if you want to continue to perform at a high level in all that you do. Your mind and body need time to recoup after major projects/events/etc. This enables you to be at your best when you tackle your next item on the to do list.