Take A Day Off
Photo by Rachel Claire
When was the last time you took a day off?
Not just a day off work to do housework, work on another project, run errands, or go to doctor’s appointments, but when was the last time you took a full day off to do absolutely nothing? A few months ago, the women’s ministry at my church read the book "Take The Day Off" by Robert Morris. In the book, he details how his overloaded schedule of ministry, family, and life commitments led him to a heavy place of stress and burnout.
He decided to take some time off, or a sabbatical, as most would say in the ministry world. At first, he was relaxing and reading Christian books. Still, his mind raced, and he felt no different or at ease. Considering that he was a Minister, reading Christian literature felt a little like he was still working. He began to watch comedies that were in his range of comfort and content and soon found himself relaxed and laughing way more than he had done in a long time. One of the highlights of this newfound rest was when a friend called and asked him to lunch. He told him his schedule had nothing on it for Monday. His friend couldn’t understand that if he had nothing to do on Monday, why couldn’t he go to lunch? He explained to him that Monday was his Sabbath day and therefore he had on his schedule "NOTHING." He made sure to take the day off and do absolutely nothing but enjoy the day.
I recently read that the average person receives about 100+ emails per day and 100+ text messages per day. We are constantly receiving information all day long—emails from work, kids’ school, consumer advertisements, and more. I did a little research and found that scientists say that most people take in about 34 gigabytes of information per day. That would be the equivalent of watching 16 movies. Now let’s do a little math. If there are 24 hours in a day, and we should sleep at least 7 of those hours, that leaves us with 17 hours for the day. If the average movie is 2 hours and we multiply that by 16, that equals 32. Do you see where this just went?
We are trying to cram 32 hours’ worth of data in our minds in 17 hours. That is insane when you think about it. We are always consuming some type of information from some source. We must take the time to take a day off and rest. Our minds, body, and soul all need rest. We must learn to disconnect from the world and be present in the moment. Find something that allows your mind to rest and be free. Get a good book, watch a funny movie, or listen to some jazz while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. Find a day during that week (it doesn't have to be Sunday) to declare your Sabbath and take the day off.
Ashley Jones
Ashley Jones is an HR Professional, writer, wife and mother. She loves to read, journal and listen to live music. She is passionate about encouraging people to journal as a way of releasing their thoughts and feelings. She lives by the motto: "Do what's best for you and works for you."