“I realized I’d been given a restorative gift: sacred idleness. An unexpected, melodic day of undoing to balance the discordant days of doing too much.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy

Practicing Self-Care

We all do too much. After my divorce it seemed like my task list doubled in length; more responsibilities, new obligations.

A counselor once shared with me that people who are grieving need to set aside a day for themselves regularly. She advised that anyone undergoing high stress should give themselves permission to have a day to do whatever they wanted, all day long … with no guilt.

I think by giving yourself permission to practice self-care for a specified length of time, you aren’t worried that you will get in bed and never come out. Yet, you give yourself the ‘okay’ to do it for a short time.

Rest

I never seemed to find a whole day to rest when I was going through my divorce process. But I often set aside a couple of hours or a morning to do exactly what I wanted without any feeling of guilt. That time was essential for me surviving the hard days of my divorce. I would read, putter around the yard, go to a bookstore, or simply take a bath and get into bed.

Find what restores your soul and do it sometime this weekend. For some specified length of time, unplug completely and simply rest. It will refresh your mind, body and soul. Sometimes, you may even find God there, too.

“My presence will with go with you and I will give you rest.” ~ Exodus 33:14 (NIV)

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