Do you have one day a week, where you get up and do everything except the things you do for the other 6 days of your week?
I have a day like that. Why? Because it helps me to feel recharged, energized, and “holiday-like.” That sounds weird but taking one day in a week by doing everything except my daily routine, feels like a holiday to me. That day I sleep later than I normally do and I do not take my vitamins (I do not recommend this with doctor-prescribed medicines). I do not exercise, I make a different kind of coffee and for the whole of that day’s afternoon, it’s binge TV watching.
So why is this so important?
If you know me, you will know that I will always bring this back to God, the Father. One of His commands is:
Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. Six days you will work, and you will do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God; you will not do any work—you or your son or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your animal, or your alien who is in your gates— because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore Yahweh blessed the seventh day and consecrated it.
This is a command of God and I believe that He knew and knows how important rest is to us and in what kind of a mess we can be when we do not do this once a week.
Gabrielle Karol of LearnVest says “that taking a break once a week is something we can look forward to, it’s a mental break.” That’s perhaps why my day of doing nothing from my routine, feels like a holiday. It’s a break from normal. Gabrielle furthermore states that when we do not take a break once a week, we become depressed and anxious.
By not taking a break from your normal routine, leads to burnout. We all know that if we do not take a break from work, it leads to burnout but according to Colleen de Bellefonds from Healthline, other activities can also lead to burnout. She’s right. When we don’t take a break, the impact on our mental health is big. Healthline has a great article on what happens when we don’t take a break, which I recommend that you read.
What should I focus on?
Life itself is not all about work or being busy. It’s okay to take a day off from your daily routine. If you do not respond to every comment on social media or if you miss a post of someone, it’s not the end of the world. Missing an opportunity to post something on social media, means that you are enjoying life. Taking a break from getting up early, feels like a holiday. The break from your routine will ensure a more friendly, engaged individual with those around you. It’s also good for your health, especially for your heart. Stress can cause a heart attack.
Life is about experiences, making memories, and enjoying the days that you are blessed with, here on earth by God. Because there comes a time when you are old and if you look back onto your life, you will only see “busyness.” There also come a time where you will die and leave all that you now know, behind.
– Exercise 6 days a week.
– Work 6 days a week.
– Tend your garden in one of the 6 days a week.
– School and children activities do those 6 days a week.
But on the 7th day, whichever day that might be for you, rest. Rest from the normal daily routine. Break free from everything you do daily and rest. You are important, take the break.
Works cited:
C. de Bellefonds: 02.06.2017; 7 Red Flags You’re Working Too Much, Healthline.
G.Karol: Learnvest
Written by: Marleen Swart, personal trainer.