The Value of Rest
I’m a recovering workaholic. I’m also an Enneagram 3, which means that I’m an overachiever who believes that I am what I do. I can fall into the lie that my worth is solely based on what I produce.
Though I know this is a lie, it’s something that I have to fight each and every day.
Over the past few years, I’ve been working to eliminate dehumanizing language from my vocabulary. Dehumanization is all around us—on social media, in the news, being spouted by people with influence—but we don’t have to live that way. Instead, we can respect other human beings by speaking about them in a way that affirms their dignity.
This is great, but I’ve also come to realize that my workaholic-ness is also a form of dehumanization… of myself. When I see myself purely as something made for productivity and work, I am forgetting, and dare I say neglecting, my own humanness.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with productivity or efficiency; those are good things in plenty of contexts. But that’s not the entirety of who I am.
It’s easy for me to forget this lesson, which is why I’m always grateful for reminders when they come.
The Importance of Rest
Recently, I was able to spend a few days in the mountains of Tennessee with other creatives as we reflected together on how we can use our voices and platforms to shine a light on the issues that we care about. We went on walks through the woods, roasted s’mores by the campfire, and ate some delicious food together as we contemplated our passions and our gifts. It was an environment of creativity, beauty, and rest… and it was exactly what I needed.
In that space, I didn’t have deadlines. There was nothing I needed to do, there was no one that I needed to be. Instead, I was able to bring my full self to that space and soak in those moments of refreshment, learning, and connection.
Now that I am back to real life and my normal routine, I’m thinking about that time in the mountains. I’m remembering how easy it is to fall back into my dehumanizing patterns, and how life-giving it is to break out of them.
Focusing on Life-Giving Patterns
Dehumanization is an easy pattern to fall into. But we don’t have to. We can instead embrace our humanness, as frail and imperfect and glorious as it is. And the good news is that we don’t have to take a trip to the mountains to do so. Instead, we can find the things that make us come alive and make space for those things.
For me, right now, it looks like:
Making space for daily walks in nature
Setting aside time to read for fun 2-3 times a week
Scheduling non-work creative time in my calendar at least once a week
I will probably add on to this list as time goes on, but it’s a good start.
What about you? What does creating rhythms of rest look like for you in this season?
I encourage you to take some time and think about that for yourself. What is practical for you in this season of life? And what do you find your mind, body, and soul craving right now?
We don’t have to wait until we’re burned out or on vacation to make space for rest. We can resist the temptation of dehumanization and choose to prioritize rest and care, even in the midst of chaos and stress.