The Gift of Pause

I am grateful for this time to write to you. I have taken time off to rest today. For me writing leisurely is restful. Lately, I have been rushing through life and I have to stop myself from working too much because a good friend reminded me to: “Love yourself!”

Indeed. 🙂

So, I am taking this day to pause for a while. The work can wait. But our health cannot. It’s incredible the amount of unnecessary stress we place on our bodies. I can feel it in my aching bones and muscles crying out for a day of rest and more sleep.

These days, in the busyness of our lives, and many things taking much of our time, it is so easy to neglect ourselves. It’s so easy to skip a healthy breakfast because we need to get to the office on time, to sleep less because there’s work to be done, and to rush through life focused on our vision for the future but missing the present moment.

I have been guilty of these on many occasions. But it is awareness that wins half the battle. Today, I choose to be in the now — to intentionally slow down and enjoy the moment, to give myself the gift of pause and rest.

What is your body telling you today? Maybe it is time for you to take a much-needed break. Maybe it needs more sleep. Maybe it needs to recover from the pressures it has gone through. Maybe it needs to calm down and let go. Perhaps, it needs a little more sleep.

Ah sleep — a luxury most people in the workforce are longing for. This is also true for many parents, especially mothers, who have to juggle taking care of their kids and balancing their home and work life. How exactly do they do it?! I honor all the mothers out there who sacrifice a lot to take care of their families. I hope your loved ones can gift you a time of rest to recover and recuperate so you can love them more. I pray you will also take care of yourself.

As for me, I must confess that I have over-scheduled my life lately. As a single person I feel like I can do everything. But at what cost! I have to learn to say “no” more often. I am learning that I can’t do everything even if I wanted to do. I have to choose to do the things that have more impact in the long-term.

Have you fallen on the same trap like me? Life’s busyness is taking a toll on your health too? It’s time to pause and take a deep breath! Inhale deeply and exhale all the stresses away. Go home early today and take that much needed sleep.

We can learn a valuable lesson from nature. Even nature slumbers during winter. Farmers say that a soil that has not been rested does not produce much harvest. Even land needs to rest so that it can be more productive. We are human “beings” and not doings. It’s time to be human again and not machines.

I remember reading about a young CEO in India who died suddenly last year. He was only in his early 30’s. Many were surprised at his death because he looked physically fit and was known to go to the gym regularly. Doctors soon discovered the culprit for his untimely death. He only slept for 4 hours a day!

Like the unhealthy food we eat, sleep debt comes back to you with a vengeance. A new sleep study said that we need at least 7 hours of quality sleep a day to recover from a hard day’s work.

That used to be eight hours. We find even new sleep research is adjusting to this millennia’s work schedule! But I think between 7-8 hours is a good measure. At least not just four hours a day. Or you can observe your body and know how many hours it takes for you to feel well rested!

If a full sleep is not possible, nap time during the day will be most helpful. Most successful people were known to take naps throughout the day such as Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and John F. Kennedy to name a few. Shut-eye during the day helped them to be alert, creative, and more focused. It made a whole lot of difference amidst their busy schedule. And it helped them produce great work.

We DO need to rest. It is not optional.

Yes, there are people to be cared for, goals to be achieved, work to be done, and dreams to reach, but you wouldn’t reach them when you’re no longer here because you did not take care of yourself.

Plus, as I have experienced, patience and focus decrease dramatically the lesser you sleep. You love less when you are sleep-deprived. You become grumpy, prone to accidents and to making unhealthy decisions. I don’t think this is the way to live a meaningful life. You put yourself and others in danger when you lack sleep and drive, or perform tasks that need high concentration like surgery or involving heavy machinery.

If we can’t afford the luxury of a nap time, at least make time for a full sleep at the end of the day, or at the end of each work day if you’re working in a call center. I hope you will make time for rest because your loved ones need you. And because a happy and healthy life depends on it.

Sometimes, we try to do so much in one day. But slow is fast in the long run. Good things take time to be built and to grow. We need to rest to be inspired again.

Jesus invites us, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God invites us to rest in Him.

Everything will be all right. You don’t have to do everything today. Do as much as you can. Give it your best shot. But at the end of the day, surrender it all to God who will take care of what you can no longer do.

Let’s make time today to rest our body, minds, and hearts.

Psalm 46:10-11 encourages us to, “Cease striving (be still) and know that I am God…The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

“Selah (Pause).”

Dear friend, rest well today.

P.S. If you need much needed rest for your spirit, I’d like to invite you to join us for a Soul Spa on September 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here you will learn how to love yourself more in a healthy way and discover your purpose in life. There will also be  a watercolor painting session to restore your spirit and calm your soul. We only have 30 slots available. If you’d like to take a pause from your busy schedule, please do register here <Soul Spa > to reserve your seat. Till then, take care of yourself because you are precious to God. Love yourself! <3