I remember my first few years of teaching when summer break came. I was so exhausted that all I did for the first two weeks was sleep. I’m not exaggerating. I would sleep until 11 or 12, get up and eat lunch, take a nap for an hour or two, wake up and eat some more, and then usually play some video games or watch TV until I fell asleep again. Every summer, the same thing. It was like this release that the end of the school year brought, and all I could do was rest.

Life is busy, no doubt about it. And it doesn’t get any less busy, especially in our society. Once we get accustomed to something, or become experts in something, we seem to draw more responsibilities to us. Jobs, spouses, children, you name it. It all adds to our list of responsibilities.

What do we do? How do we get it all done?

While I know it’s probably not true, I always feel like I get a little more put on me at work every year. They aren’t big things, just a lot of smaller things that take away from the other list of things I need to do. It gets stressful. How in world am I supposed to get it all done in a single work day?

A lot of people, myself included, end up carrying the work home. I can’t count how many days this year I’ve worked a full day and then come home and worked 2 or 3 more hours. I spent a lot of my weekends working and feeling guilty when I wasn’t working, all because I didn’t want to fall further behind at work. Plus, I just needed to be ready to teach the following day.

It’s a dangerous cycle. That type of thinking takes its toll eventually. Multiple times I've become so tightly wound and stressed out that I would have anxiety attacks or mini-melt downs.

That’s the reality of neglecting rest. We think we’re being more productive, but in truth, we’re gradually wearing down our functionality.

Rest is necessary in order to maintain a healthy life. It resets and recharges us: physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically. There’s a reason that even God rested from His work when he created the world. Because it’s every bit as important as any other necessity in life. The Sabbath even has it’s own commandment. Out of all ten, it gets its own slot. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Do you find yourself becoming overly anxious? Stressed? Wound up? Easily irritated? Angry?

Chances are you need some rest. Take it. Don’t rationalize what you need to do and why you need to do it. Just do it. Take a break. Take a nap. Sleep in. Sit outside and read a book. Take a walk. You might be surprised with the results.