Rhythms of Rest
#6 Restoration Practice - designing your year with margin
If you haven’t had a chance to read this yet, When Rest Feels Too Costly, about two quick stories of two different days of rest, I encouraged you to lean in. In it I invite you to prioritize rest over ambition this year, reframing self-care, and confront the cognitive distortions around rest.
January and Feburary’s Restoration Practices will include a couple tools that will help you both plan for rest and address your beliefs around rest.
If you don’t move in the direction of rest, rest is almost certainly out of reach.
Prioritizing rest means planning for it. One of the ways I do this is by practicing rhythms of rest to establish an intentional method that still feels natural to my life. I learned this tool from 3D Ministries. Not only have I used it myself for nearly fifteen years, but I also teach it in the Mentorship Circles and use it with coaching clients.
Step One: Mindfulness
Get into a mindful state. Notice what sounds and smells are around you. Take a few prayerful breaths. Imagine putting your cares onto a shelf that only God has access to. Leave them there for now as you invite God’s Spirit to join you.
Step Two: Naming your current restful rhythms throughout the year:
Consider how your day is divided up. What rhythms are in your life are in place to help you rest? Which ones allow your body/mind to recovery? Which ones lend to refilling, life-giving spiritual and emotional rest?
Daily practices
Weekly practices
Monthly/Seasonal practices
Yearly practices
Set a three-minute timer to jot the basics of how you rest in each category.
Step Three: Evaluate your restful rhythms:
Set another timer for 2-3 minutes and ask yourself these questions as you look at these rhythms you’ve written. Take notes as needed.
Are the things on your list actually restful?
If so, do they meet both your refill and recover needs?
Are some of your “restful” practices more draining than restful?
Ex. a church service where you give more than what’s in you to give, unable to have space to refill because you serve the whole time.
Ex. a vacation that is actually so much work managing the plans and kids, that you aren’t refilled in the process and your body has to recover hard-core when you return home.
Step Three: Recalibrate your rhythms:
»»»Based on what you notice, what is one edit you need to make to your current restful life rhythms to better serve you and your family?
Remember, any edits are just experiments, something to reevaluate in the future. So don’t get too frustrated if it doesn’t work as planned.
I wish I had more than a few minutes with you to do this in-depth, but one is better than none! What is important is that you are moving in the direction of rest!
Thank you so much for spending the last five to ten minutes with me considering your annual rhythms of rest. If you want to go further on your own, here are some ideas:
Schedule a time on your calendar for 20-30 minutes to delve deep into writing out your rhythms.
Make sure times for rest that need to be blocked off on your calendar are inputted before you add to your agenda.
Communicate with those you live with how you need their support.
If you would like more support, you are always welcome to schedule a coaching call with me here.
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