Even God rested on the seventh day.

What about you?

When was the last time that you took time to disconnect, rest, and to enjoy yourself?

Make time to play. And make time to rest.

Every time that I try to push myself to get through current rough time, I fall because my body needs rest.

I’ve gone without sleep to get work done, pushed onward to complete a marathon when I’m spent, and I’ve gone beyond my limits when I needed to finish a book due to a publishing deadline.

But here’s a secret that I’ll let you in on: My most creative ideas and solutions always come when I give myself time to unwind and to relax.

A few months ago, I took some time out to listen to one of the meditation sessions by Deepak Chopra, and while meditating, an idea for a new book popped into my head. I stopped meditating (shhh, don’t tell Deepak), and wrote my idea down, and then finished my meditation.

It’s easy for me to write these words about the importance of making time to rest.

But putting the words into action is an entirely different story. Just as hard as we make time to work, do chores, take care of our kids, and the hundreds of other things we do, the question is: How do we make time for rest?

Having grown up in an alcoholic/dysfunctional home, I fell into the role of being responsible. I took on more work and sacrificed my own time to get work done. I took on more than my share, and often I did that because I felt that I needed to control the world around me.

What I lacked were clear boundaries.

Need to make time for rest?

Then focus on your boundaries. Make clear to yourself (and those you live with), what you are responsible for and where you need help. What are your chores around the house and what are your spouse’s or your kids’?

Do you take on all the work? (Or if you shirk responsibility to just do work for your job, think about that for a moment and the imbalance that this has brought to your family life.)

Claiming time to rest is what I’m asking you to do. But I’m also suggesting that you think about your boundaries and the balance that you have in life.

Are you just working? Many people work extremely hard but don’t help their wives with their children. What about cooking and cleaning around the house? Or doing the wash? Who is doing all this work?

When I talk about rest, I mean that in many ways. We need to rest for our bodies, mind, and soul.

When we take stock each day on what we do, how we feel, and check-in on our emotional well-being, yes, extra sleep would be good for us, but so would a better balance between work and play.

Making time to rest isn’t only about sleeping.

Setting boundaries and finding balance in our lives is critical.

You might need to have some difficult conversations with those you live with as you ask for help.

For the first step, carve out some time to get rest. Recharge your batteries and come up with a plan for the next steps on your journey.

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.