Share the Love!

In today’s world of where is this constantly something going on, it’s hard to find true rest. Most people work for 7 – 10 hours a day and many come home to continue working. We have families, chores, pets and other responsibilities.

If you’re like me, sometimes I feel guilty for taking a day to rest. I feel like there is so much more I could be doing with my time and sometimes it even feels like I’m wasting my time by sitting around in my pjs all day watching movies.

Did you know that it’s actually healthy for us to rest and just spend a day doing nothing? Of course it’s not good to do it everyday, but you should do it on a regular basis.

There are many different ways to find rest and relaxation. If you’re not sure what’s the best way for you to spend your time resting, take this quiz, What Should You Do To Relax?

Here are 7 reasons why it’s important to get enough rest and not feel guilty about it.

1. Avoid burnout
When we are constantly working and don’t spend enough time resting, we will eventually become burnt out. Burnout is when we become so mentally and physically exhausted that even spending a large amount of time resting no longer feels like enough. You may feel constantly stressed out, overwhelmed and eventually these may turn into physical symptoms like headaches or stomach issues. You may start to feel tired all the time, lose interest in your work or you might feel like everything you do just isn’t enough.

We all have limits, both physically and mentally. Don’t work yourself so hard that you constantly reach yours. It’s good to push yourself yes, but don’t do it at the expense of your mental and physical health.

2. You will keep yourself filled up
Even a car needs gas and an oil change on a regular basis in order for it to run properly. If you ignore these basic needs of the car, then it won’t run and might even break down eventually.

We are similar in the sense that we need to be refueled and refilled. We need to take time for ourselves and fill ourselves with rest, food, exercise, love, laughter, alone time and more. Needs can vary from person to person depending on your lifestyle and other factors. What do you need to keep yourself filled up?

3. You will be better able to help others
When you are well rested and filled up, you will be more likely to give to others joyfully. Think of it this way, if you have a whole pizza, you are more likely to happily share it with someone because you have plenty, you have more than enough. You can’t eat the entire pizza in one setting (or at least you shouldn’t, lol). If someone asks for a slice, it not a big deal.

Now, if you only have two slices of pizza and someone ask for a slice, you can give one away but then you’re probably still going to be hungry. You’ll end up spending time trying to find something else to eat and might even end up being resentful towards the person who asked for a slice.

By keeping yourself filled up and well rested, you will have more than enough to give so when someone asks, it’s no big deal and you are more than happy to help. If you are asked to help someone when you don’t feel like you have enough then it becomes a burden and it’s harder to do it joyfully.

4. It’s Biblical
In the Bible, God worked for 6 days creating the world and on the 7th day he rested. God rested. If God who is all powerful rested, what makes us think that we humans don’t need rest?

“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” – Genesis 2:3

It’s even in the 10 commandments that we are supposed to remember the Sabbath day (day of rest) and keep it holy. We are to work 6 days and on the 7th day we rest.

“Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…..” Exodus 20:9-10

When God created the world he knew we were human and needed certain things including rest. We can’t just keep working constantly, if we try there are consequences. If God went as far as to command us to rest, that shows how important rest is.

5. You will be healthier
Your health depends on how well you take care of yourself. Eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and getting plenty of rest are all things that we’ve heard many times. There’s a reason these things have been repeated time and time again, they are important. Health is one of those things many take for granted when they have it, but once it starts to suffer you realize how valuable it is.

As you age your body will start to change. Certain things you were able to do with no problems when you were younger will suddenly not become as easy and you will start to see consequences. You can no longer eat certain foods or stay up all night drinking. Of course you can do these things, but it causes issues. The same goes for rest. Sure, you can work constantly for a while, but soon you will see issues. Honestly, it’s not worth it. Your health is so important. You only get one body, make sure you take care of it.

6. You’ll see things in a new way
When you take time to rest and enjoy life, you will start to notice things you don’t notice when you are constantly busy. You might notice how beautiful the sunset is, how good the flowers smell or how calming the sound of the ocean is.

You might start to realize that some things just aren’t that important. Many people seek money, fame, promotions,straight A’s and other forms of success. These things are great and they are important, but there is so much more to life. Spending time with loved ones brings so much more joy than having a ton of money sitting in the bank. Taking a moment to savor a breath of fresh air after the rain is more important than taking a picture for Instagram. Actually listening to your children tell you about their day is more important than spending that hour working on a project that won’t really matter in a couple months.

Take time out to rest allows us to recharge and refresh. It helps you to remember what is really important in life and what you really value.

7. You deserve to enjoy life
Everyone deserves to enjoy life. Heck, you only get one life, don’t spend it being miserable! Everyone has things they would love to do if they had the time, so stop making excuses and make the time. Travel to places you’ve always wanted to go. Take a few extra minutes to cuddle with your spouse. Use your vacation time, even if you just relax at home.

Your time on earth is limited and it’s important to achieve your goals but it’s also important to enjoy yourself while you do it.

There have been many studies and interviews of people who have reached the end of their lives. Many studies will ask people what they regret most and many people say they regret working too much. They regret not spending more time with people they love or doing something they always wanted to do.

Make sure you are living a life you will look back on and smile about.