What is Rest?

The routine seems to be pretty much the same each day. Getting the girls up and ready for school, going to work, picking the girls up, dinner, bed, and cleaning the mess we all made. It’s not until about eleven o’clock that I look down and realize my shoes are still on my feet, and I haven’t had a chance to sit down and catch a break. Oftentimes, people ask if I ever sit still, and quite often I explain that this is a choice I make. Things need to be done, and I need to do them. They always seemed confused. It got me thinking…

As moms, do we ever really get rest?

What in the world is it? I sure can’t remember what it’s like to have it. Is it something that I need to set time aside and create? Seems like some have it all the time, while I clearly struggle with even the thought of it.

I recently started this Health and Wellness Cohort with my job. Not sure what I was expecting from it. It was so funny when I was presented with the opportunity, because anyone that has ever been blessed to work with a nonprofit, must know that rest is never a word used. If anything, you realize that you are constantly tasked with things that will never get finished, as it just keeps adding up. Every Wednesday morning, for two hours I am joined by about 15 other women. As we write in journals, practice breathing exercises, and really just have a moment to be at peace with life, ( or at least try to be) I often reflect on being a mom and making sure that I am creating a space, where hopefully my kids don’t fall into this same lifestyle of my own.

The categories of rest that we talk about are mental, emotional, and creative.

Mental:

Being able to take a break from processing information
Ways to practice: Journaling and Music

Emotional:

Making space to reflect and find self-expression
Ways to practice: Therapy and Breathing techniques

Creative:

Stepping away from the complexities of life and engaging in a different space.
Ways to Practice: Nature and being in the outdoors

The weekly cohort is now something that I look forward to joining. Not only learning about rest, but being able to hear from other women, and their journey is amazing to listen to. 
I have challenged myself with finding a little time each day to practice rest and letting things go. Work will be there in the morning, the world will not end if the sock didn’t make it in the laundry basket at that very moment, and sometimes… just sometimes, it’s okay not to cook a full course meal each day.

If somehow, we take the time to be still and shift the balance that we created into something of peace, we all may just find the rest that we all so desperately need.

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