Stress Be Gone! Time for a Little R&R!

I got a text from my daughter today that said, "I have my slippers on and I'm lying under a big blanket on the couch. I plan to stay like this most of the day and I'm REALLY excited about it."  I texted back my enthustastic support!

It seems like lately, life has gotten crazy, and trying to find a little down time has become nearly impossible.  Between increased stress at work and at home, I felt like I barely made it through the holidays.  That's why I determined to take a couple of extra days off over the New Year's weekend.  The thought of a few unscheduled days was what got me through some otherwise stressful times.

But it wasn't easy.  It's hard to say "no."  It's hard to not feel guilty about needing and taking some time for yourself.  But I realized, that in the long run, everyone around me would benefit if I could just carve out a little down time for me.

I needed some time to not only rest my body, but also my mind.  For too long now, my mind has been racing and stressing over all of the things that I'm responsible for, even when I can't to do anything about them...like in the middle of the night.  What a waste of my energy! 

Yesterday, my sister sent me this quote, "The greatest weapon against stress, is our ability to choose one thought over another." I loved that and it immediately reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures.  Philippians 4:8 says "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." It really is all about mind control, in the most positive sense.

I don't know how my life became this never-ending series of responsibilities.  When did I lose the ability to simply rest; to immerse myself in the beauty of the moment without worrying about the next thing on my to-do list? I long for a slower-paced life where I take the time to cherish those things that are precious to me.  It's up to me.  No one can do it for me.

So, I'm working on getting better at choosing the thoughts that bring peace and rest.  Combine those thoughts with a little guilt-free time reading on my couch while sipping a cup of coffee and life looks a whole lot better. You might want to give it a try too.