I lived my first years of motherhood is this state of constant doing, going and focused on productivity. I literally ran myself to the point of exhaustion. I’m sure many of you can relate because as moms we feel this inner pull to be super mom and try to do everything. We feel there never seems to be enough time in the day to do everything on our mile long to do lists.
I want to pause right here and ask …. When you look at the mile long to do list … is rest on there ??? If you’re like how I was it’s probably not, but why. Why do we think we don’t put time to rest as a priority? Why do we look at time to rest as an “if we have time we will do it type of thing or I can’t rest I have too much to do and resting is not productive”
Resting may seem like a sign of weakness or laziness but today I want to remind you that even God rested and he wants rest for us too. Rest is a blessing God gifts us when we put our trust in him. One of my absolute favorite scripture passages is psalm 23 Verses 1-3 specifically hold dear to my heart “the lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” reading those words just brings a sense of peace doesn’t it. Let us rest in our savior knowing he cares for us, he wants us to feel his peace and we can rest knowing he has everything under control, so take a deep breath and let his peace and presence fill your soul.
The past few years I have really made an intentional effort to live a more restful life. Now that it’s become something I do more boy when we have seasons of busyness I crave that restful time and it really fills my body and soul when I take the time to be restful. It’s become a priority in my life and so I look for opportunities I can make it happen because I know I am a better mom and live a more christ like life when I take time for rest.
I love this definition of rest from the oxford dictionary “rest is to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself or recover strength” what stands out to me is “cease work or movement” … literally stop doing so you can relax and refresh! Put the to do list on pause and do something for yourself. You don’t need to run on empty day after day, your family needs you at your best and to do that you need rest momma😊
Now rest can look different for each person, today I want to talk about the types of rest. Often we think rest is to sit down or take a nap, yes that is rest but it can be expressed other ways as well.
Below are 9 ways you can rest
- Physical rest- the most well known way to rest, which is to sleep, but it can also be stretching your body/ mindful movement or even a nourishing meal
- Mental rest– which is any type of non thinking activity, it can be sitting peacefully outside listening to nature, or meditation, or even tasks that enjoy that take little to no thinking power because they come naturally to you like baking, painting or gardening. Your mind needs a break, if you find yourself running through your mental check list or anxious about tasks that you need to do yet, write them down or say a prayer for God to relieve you from these anxious thoughts so you can enjoy this time of rest
- Emotional rest- healthy emotional processing rather than suppressing, so this can be crying … journaling .. therapy … talking to a trusted friend or spouse. Letting those emotions out in a healthy way will bring you peace and rest rather than holding them in. When your body is in a state of dis ease it leads to disease.
- Social rest– Their is just something comforting and honestly just makes my worries and stress melt away and that is a hug … you can also find that sense of peace when you spend time connecting with others, community is truly important for a well balanced mom life. Humans thrive on connection and are not meant to do life alone, so seeing connection through conversation or even a nice hug can help relieve stress and give you that social rest.
- Ecological rest-You can find this through Gardening, Hiking, Bird watching, Swimming, even just a leisurely stroll through your local park or neighborhood. Doing a carefree activity out in the fresh air and experiencing nature, if your lucky enough even some sunshine, is grounding and can really bring a sense of peace to your mind, body, and soul.
- Sensory rest -This can be experienced through time in silence … relaxing music .. scents, or wearing loose clothing.
- Spiritual rest – This can look like practicing meditation.. prayer, journaling, reading Gods word, even time with fellow believers in a Bible study or attending a church service. This a great time to be intentional on re-centering your mind and connecting your mind and soul with God, doing this can really bring you into a calmer more relaxed state of mind.
- Creative rest – Now if your naturally an artsy crafty person like me this type of rest is so relaxing and fulfilling but it’s also something I can do with my kids so it naturally becomes part of our homeschool days. Creative rest can be drawing, painting or coloring, crafting, baking or trying new recipes .. it can even be reading something like fantasy novels. I do want to say this, it doesn’t matter if you think your good at creative activities, just the act of doing any of these can be restful, enjoy the process and don’t be focused on the outcome. You don’t need to become a Picasso you’re just pursuing a hobby or interest that helps you slow down from your natural pace of life.
- Playful rest – This s a fun one because it is literally anything fun and unproductive. Give yourself permission to be unproductive! Our brains and bodies need these type of activities. I can tell when I’ve been on the go too much because I crave this type of rest. It’s also a great opportunity to not only experience rest but to connect with your children and spouse. Playful rest can be watching a romcom, playing a board game, doing a puzzle, or building a fort. We have this tradition of Friday night is our family devotional night. We start off by reading our devotional, then we do popcorn and a movie and relax together. We all look forward to this restful night as we close out the week.
🍃Rest is really an important habit we as moms should be incorporating in our lifestyle. Rest can look different depending on your day or what your current state in life looks like. We learned today that rest isn’t just getting more sleep but you can achieve a rested state through, mental, emotional, physical,social, Ecological, sensory, spiritual, creative and playful practices. You don’t have to just pick one type of rest. Listen to your body it’s crazy but I can feel when I’m feeling like I need to fill my spiritual cup and spend time in the word or prayer. Or when my body is feeling drained I know I need to make sleep and mental rest a priority. When I’m feeling easily agitated I know it’s time for some playful fun or creative time. I encourage you to try out a few different types of rest each week and see how you feel afterwards, pay close attention to which types of rest light you up filling your cup and leaving you feeling refreshed and relaxed.
🍃Rest is a form of self care and helps you feel mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally at your best. Taking time for rest can help you feel calm, more connected and live a more balanced mom life. Have fun with this process, and try to slow down your pace of life so that rest becomes a natural Rhythm in your week.
Which type of rest are you excited about trying this week?