Time for rest and reflection

I´ve been reading alot of health magazines this summer. I love bringing magazines to read when I go to the beach. It´s fun to relax in the sun and be able to learn something new at the same time. My favorite Scandinavian health magazine right now is a magazine called "MåBra". I love this magazine because it focuses on both the physical side and the mental side of wellness and health. I find that many health magazines these days tend to focus a little too much on vanity and the perfect body. The mental side of health is easily ignored or valued less in health magazines.


One topic that was mentioned many times in the magazines I was reading this summer was the need for rest. Research shows that allowing your body and mind to rest on a regular basis is very important to live a long and healthy life. I also read daily in blogs and on facebook about how people are stressed, tired, and lacking sleep. It´s easy to prioritize other things over taking time to rest in today´s society because there is alot of pressure to constantly achieve things. More and more people push themselves so hard that they get burned out and are forced to give the body and mind what it needs.


I´m hoping for a future where being "stressed" or "busy" is less glorified and where taking time to rest is more prioritized. I talked with other women in our church one time and they were all complaining that they were stressed and tired from the lack of balance in their lives. They had their children, their careers, husbands and volunteer positions to think about. I said to them: "Sometimes I think that God probably knew our struggle to prioritize resting when he decided to make it one of the ten commandments. As Christians we don´t "get to rest" every now and then, we have to rest at least one day a week." That´s pretty awesome. When I rest God is pleased with me, I don´t have to constantly achieve. Rest is not something that I only deserve when I have done alot of great work and when I´m exhausted. Rest is God´s gift to all people. I have also noticed that I get my best new ideas when I´m resting. Time for rest and reflection is super important in my life.