Who needs to take a Personal Day from life? Are you functioning on auto-pilot? Is life and all of its demands requiring more than you have to give at the moment? I hear ya. I am currently in a place of need. I need to slow down. I need to find more balance. I need to rest and let myself heal from the trauma of everyday life.

My sister had open heart surgery a few months ago and just this week had to go back because one of her arteries had developed scar tissue that was blocking 95% of blood flow. Needless to say, she had to address it quickly if she had any chance at all. Thank goodness, she is back home and resting.

It makes me sad that she has to go through all this. Her body is so broken down and the stress of it is wearing on her and all of us who love her. However, in the mayhem of it all, I was challenged to look at my life, my health, and my needs. I want to be strong for her and for my family in general. That is my priority and right now, I’m running close to empty.

After we were all back home I found myself emotionally exhausted. I sat on the couch with a hot cup of tea and knew that I really needed to slow down, take a breather, and rest. If I don’t, the scar tissue from the trauma of my own life will start to take over and choke out the sanity and effectiveness I’ve worked so hard to acquire.

However, the hard truth of the matter is that I am still a single mom, just like you. And we have to maintain all our responsibilities regardless of how tired we are. So how do we slow down and take a breather and get back to balance?

For me, I started by taking an inventory of my week, assessing where and when I could slow down, and then made a concerted effort to do so. I had to say, “no” to a few things in order to say, “yes” to rest.

Some of the easiest places to find quiet retreat and renewal is in prayer time. Take a few extra moments throughout the day to get quiet and talk to God. Reveal your heart to him. Let him in on your worries, fears, loneliness and frustrations. Ask him to quiet your restless soul and renew your energy and focus on the good things he wants you to do instead of getting bogged down in the time wasters.

A great way to connect through prayer is to open the psalms and just start praying them as if they were your own. When I make this choice to spend more time with God, it—heals, refreshes, and comforts me. It restores my hope and boosts my energy for a health-focused life. I make better choices. And my interactions are kinder and more purposeful.

Another choice I want to make when I’m suffering under the weight of busyness is to spend more quality time with my kids. They are only under my roof for a short span of time and it’s my honor and privilege to parent them. Let’s face it, our kids are crazy busy. And, even with the best of intentions, I’m guilty of fostering their busyness, which then makes me crazy busy also.

But I want more. I want a good, solid relationship with each of them. And that requires mindfulness and intentionality. In this case, I may need to stand up as the parent and say, “no” to some of their time wasters as well in order to create more quality family time because, in the end, that is something that is well worth the effort.

After all, life isn’t about how much you make, what you have, or who you know. Life is all about love—loving God and loving others.

What do you say? Is it time to rest? Are you willing to say, “no” to a few things so you can say, “yes” to a fuller, healthier, and saner you? Oftentimes, if we can make a few tough short term decisions, they will foster an exponential growth in the long run.

Reflect and Respond:

Sometimes, it is vital to retreat, rest, and renew. Is it one of those times for you? If so, I challenge you to look at your week ahead and find one or two places you can say, “no” to time wasters in order to say, “yes” to rest.

Remember, you are not alone. Be blessed this week as you say YES to rest.