The Underappreciation of Rest in Today’s Society

underappreciation-of-rest

“What is without periods of rest will not endure.” —Ovid

Recently, I spent a few weeks on vacation. The time was filled with travel, reconnecting with family, playing golf, swimming, sleeping, and reading. As you can probably imagine, it was quite enjoyable. But more than that, it was desperately needed.

Consider the benefits that rest offers:

  • a healthier body.
  • more balance.
  • less stress.
  • deeper relationships.
  • better opportunity to evaluate life’s direction.
  • a new, fresh outlook.
  • increased productivity.

Yet, despite all the proven benefits of rest, intentionally setting aside regular time for rest is a practice that has become undervalued and underappreciated in today’s culture. We have become overworked, overstressed, and exhausted. Yet, Sabbath (setting aside one day each week for rest) remains a dying practice that less and less people practice regularly (never mind the idea of actually taking a two-week vacation).

Read more here.