Take a Break, Get Some Rest...

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt 11:28)

Haven't I done enough? 

Some days, it gets really overwhelming, doesn't it? House chores, yard chores, errands, child care, work, helping others-- when do we get to establish balance? To invest in our interior lives? To rest?

I'm learning how to rest. I know I've written about that a bit in the past, but bear with me. There's only one of me, and I've been spread pretty thin over the last many years. My immediate family (bless them always) help as much as they can, and I appreciate them and their efforts. The physical work is never done, just abandoned for a time, until the next cycle-- wouldn't it be nice if the laundry stayed done and the bathrooms were always spotless? Not likely to ever happen-- we live in the house. =)

The rest I'm talking about is the mental and emotional break that I --we-- so desperately need. Dishes and so on are not what wear me out-- it's the worry, the concern, the doom-prepping that my brain tends to engage in, whether I like it or not. It's the hashing and rehashing of old hurts, the coulda-woulda-shoulda cycle that burns up mental peace like tinder and matches on a hot, dry day. How do we lay that burden down and get some actual mental and emotional rest? I'm working on it. I know I'm not the only one whose brain won't shut up and shut down.

I like guided mindfulness youtubers. I love to read, to watch a good movie or television show, to pray/chat with God-- all of those are good pathways to taking a mental break. But then, night falls, I'm tired, and I'm awake every two hours. This is nothing new, but it's really wearing me out. I'm going to try to establish some new parameters -- turning off the television a half hour before bed, for example-- and see if it helps. I'm going to go up to bed a little earlier so I can putter around a bit before turning off the light. Something's gotta work, because I'm tired.

Today, though, is a day off from school (yes, I know--we just got started!)-- Labor Day. It's meant to honor the hard work folks do, and give them a day to rest. My husband is working, but "holiday hours"-- the house will be quiet for a while, and I am hopeful that I can just drift from one little thing to the next and then spend time outdoors on the deck in the sunshine that is predicted for later today. High 80s, too-- summer shows up late to the party.

Today will be a good opportunity to step back and evaluate how I'm doing, and make some adjustments. Maybe this wakefulness is the residue of too many years of stress. Maybe it's the remainder of some coping strategies that I developed that I don't need anymore. It's time to shift. I need rest.

Have a good day,

C