If you want to be
healthier,
thinner,
think more clearly,
and enjoy life to the fullest …
the secret is surprisingly simple. 

Sleep more!

That’s right!
Sleep is the solution to
so much of what ails us.

This is marvelous news to me.
If there were an Olympic medal for sleeping,
I could bring home the gold.

WebMD.com lists 9 benefits for
a good night’s sleep.

Better overall health.
Better sex life.
Less chronic pain.
Lower risk of injury.
Better mood.
Supports weight control.
(Why didn’t they lead with this one is a mystery to me.)
Clearer thinking.
Better memory.
Stronger immunity.

Doctors tell you to sleep,
and
God tells you to rest.

But, you say,
“I’m TOO BUSY to rest!”
Me, too!

If I’m going to get eight hours of sleep in at night,
there is no time to rest during the day!

Depending on the season,
I have a family to take care of,
kids to shuttle,
pets to clean up after,
a house to run,
meals to plan,
groceries to buy,
food to prepare,
laundry to wash, dry, fold, & put away. 

I have a full-time job,
meetings to attend,
cars to maintain,
books to read,
a blog to write and
a sidewalk to shovel.

Sound familiar?
I’m sure it does.

Who has time to rest?

The fact is,
you need to rest
as much as you need to breathe.

But, what do you do if
like me, you consider
REST IS WORK?

I come from a long line of overachieving women
who made multitasking an art form.

Rest isn’t something that comes naturally to me.

When I think about rest,
something inside me seizes up.

Somewhere in my conditioning,
I started to equate rest with
laziness,
weakness, and
wasted time.

So untrue.
It’s vital to build times of rest into your daily life.

 Rest can make you more
alert and effective,
reduce stress levels and
give you a better chance
of a healthier and longer life.

But in today’s society,
most of us don’t know how to rest.

In fact,
most of us boast
about how busy we are! 

What does restorative rest look like?

One form of rest is
establishing a quiet time of 10-15 minutes a day …
doing nothing.
Use the time to listen for God to speak to you.
Or time spent in prayer.

Rest is being quiet,
dreaming,
visualizing pleasant scenarios,
enjoying good music or
taking a nap.

Quiet activities like
reading,
coloring,
knitting,
journaling,
jigsaws and
crossword puzzles
are restful.

It’s time spent doing things that
refresh,
revive and
rejuvenate you.

CAUTION:
JUDGEMENT ZONE AHEAD!

What looks like rest to you,
might look like work to someone else.
Walking.
Gardening.
Shopping.
Painting.
Playing games.
All great activities that could look more like work than rest.

As a rule of thumb,
if it feels like a
GET TO,
and NOT a
HAVE TO,
it probably qualifies as
rest for you.

For me, some of my best rest is
socializing with friends.
Snacking and schmoozing.
Having conversations about real life.
Simply enjoying their company.

Who knew?
The secret to a better life is
sleep and rest.

What’s your best rest plan?
I’d love to hear your idea.
I need all the suggestions I can get!  

Scripture Refresher:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)