You Don't Need A "Self Care Day"
Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

You Don't Need A "Self Care Day"

Several weeks ago I was lured into a LinkedIn post from someone who was speaking about their self care days. Complete with a picture, they were making the case that given the number of hours they worked and all of the other things they had going on in their lives, that every once in awhile they would crash (also known as burnout).

It was because of this crash that every so often they would take a self care day to recuperate and "catch-up" on all of those things they let slide during their marathon days of work and busy.

Unfortunately, this person is not alone.

I have seen numerous posts on different platforms and spoken to others who follow this same pattern and at different times throughout the year they "reward" themselves with a self-care day.

Do You Really Need It?

I am a big believer of people taking care of themselves. I myself watch what I eat, I exercise regularly and most days average 7-9 hours of sleep. However, it seems that many have instead opted to drive themselves to the point of exhaustion and then tap out when it inevitably catches up with them. This is evidenced by a recent report highlighted in Forbes that indicated that two-thirds of the workforce has experienced burnout.

But what if we could forgo the whole idea of a self care day every so often and take advantage of a self care day every week?

The reality is that we can.

It Started in the Beginning

When you look at the creation account in Genesis it says the following:

"By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

This is the first record that we have of rest in all of Scripture, and it is this example of Godly rest that informed the fourth of the Ten Commandments . . . "Remember that sabbath and keep it holy."

I am no theologian and there are those far smarter than I that can unpack Sabbath and how that applies to us today who are not under the law that God delivered in the Torah. However, in my rather simple approach I read that God rested on the 7th day . . . and this was before he gave His law to Israel.

Follow The Leader

God, the Creator of our universe rested and also made sure there was a record of it in His word. However, He did more than rest, He sanctified the day (set it apart) that He rested. Knowing this, how then should we approach rest?

A number of years ago I was talking with several other business owners and executives about the pace of business and the time we were putting into our jobs. I did not realize it at that time, but what had started as an earnest conversation quickly evolved into a brag session.

Each of us began speaking about our 10-12 hour days, our relentless travel schedules, lack of sleep and all of the other ways we were burning the candle at both ends.

I can only imagine how ridiculous we sounded to anyone who might have overheard our conversation. A bunch of stuffed shirts who used a lack of rest as a way to boost our egos.

Just absurd and not at all the pattern that our God has given us.

We Are Told To Remember

I find it interesting that of all of the Ten Commandments, the only one that starts with the word "remember" is the one about Sabbath.

I believe this is because God knew how quickly we can get distracted, how we can make work our idol and how easily we can get consumed with busy. And, whether it is a conscious decision or just absent mindedness, when we allow ourselves to get into these destructive cycles, we neglect our need for rest.

As with everything that God has laid out, when we follow His ways, we will find our lives our better; this includes our call to rest.

In His kindness, God gave us a pattern to find rest every week! If we remember to do so is completely up to us.

On the journey with you,

Carlos





Bill Montgomery

President/CEO at River Radio Ministries

1 天前

Well said, but hard to live. Greatly appreciate the reminder. Putting it on the calendar makes it easier to practice.

David New

Life Sciences Sales Manager at SAS | Enabling life science and services businesses to innovate through analytic insights

2 天前

Great insight as usual Carlos Hidalgo. Having a Sabbath/rest day is a way to also remind ourselves that our faith is in God as our provider and not ourselves, and our own efforts are not solely responsible for meeting our needs.

Chris Grainger

I'm Just A Guy

2 天前

Great insights as always Carlos!

Jonathan Bubar

Director of Pastoral Encouragement

2 天前

A strong steady pace is far more effective at winning the race, then intense intervals of work and rest. That’s a proven fact physically and I believe that applies mentally and emotionally as well.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Carlos Hidalgo的更多文章

  • The Value of Waiting

    The Value of Waiting

    One of my favorite memories with our kids as they were growing up was Christmas Morning. The anticipation of getting to…

    6 条评论
  • Thirty Years In The Making

    Thirty Years In The Making

    It was more than thirty years ago when I stood in front of our guests at the front of the church in California, held…

    10 条评论
  • It's Not About Them

    It's Not About Them

    "I will never forgive him!" These were the words that left my mouth more than a decade ago as I sat red-faced with my…

    15 条评论
  • The Desire For More

    The Desire For More

    In the 1987 movie Wall Street, Michael Douglas's character, Gordon Gekko, delivered a speech to a group of shareholders…

    2 条评论
  • It Was Never Yours

    It Was Never Yours

    Among the many first words children learn as they grow is the word "mine." I can still vividly see my kids as toddlers…

    10 条评论
  • A Blueprint For A Good Life

    A Blueprint For A Good Life

    If you are wondering why, after almost two years, you are once again receiving a Life Design Newsletter, you can read…

    11 条评论
  • I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together!

    I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together!

    I remember as a kid watching The Carol Burnette Show. To this day when I see a clip from that show, I still laugh and…

    10 条评论
  • The Science of Gratitude

    The Science of Gratitude

    I turned 50 in 2021. As many of us do when we hit an age milestone, I went back and forth from not caring about 50 to…

    4 条评论
  • When The Fix Becomes The Problem

    When The Fix Becomes The Problem

    Last year while Susanne and I were away for a long weekend in Boston I received a text from a friend that read as…

  • Thankfulness in a Jar

    Thankfulness in a Jar

    It is hard to believe that not that long ago we were ringing in a New Year and having to hit backspace as we mistakenly…

    3 条评论