May 22, 2023
Rest. Catch your breath.
Never has rest been more critical. We move fast, and our adrenaline spigots seldom shut off. We're stretched beyond our limits by racing from responsibility to responsibility and adding more and more to our lives. High adrenaline output depletes the brain’s natural tranquilizers. Many learned to associate relaxation with irresponsibility, so let’s reframe this together.
These are some tips to try:
Understand your limits.
Once you reach your limits, stop. Don’t work until you drop. Instead, find a pace of life that works for you, and stick to it.
Maintain regular breaks during the day.
Give your mind a rest from technology. Turn off, unplug, and detach from social media, news, and all the tech toys that deplete energy.
Learn to relax. To relax is to disengage and let go.
I’ve learned the key to tranquility and proper rest is to face today’s problems and no more, to treat each day like a self-contained unit. Face today’s issues: meet them with inner strength, but don’t start tackling tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow. We don’t have tomorrow’s strength yet. We have enough for today. So how do we do this?
Find a parking place for tomorrow’s problems. Then, write them down when they surface, and mentally drive them into a parking garage and leave them there.
Don’t over-stress. Emotional energy is finite. Permit yourself to say, “I will solve this tomorrow. By sunrise, I will be replenished physically and mentally. Every day is a fresh start so I will start fresh in the morning.”
Shut the gate on yesterday, and don’t touch the gate on tomorrow. When our minds spend today trying to figure out tomorrow, or when we try to live tomorrow, today, we are out of peace.
Welcome the day with a grateful heart. Don’t be so rushed that you forget to notice the blessings that fill your day. Thankfulness protects you from thoughts that disrupt your attitude and peace. You feel much happier when you’re thankful for the blessings all around you.
-Adapted by Max Lucado