Revisiting A Day of Rest

Revisiting A Day Of Rest
by Jill Earl

A day of rest from writing. Back in March, Valerie Fentress’ post encouraged us to incorporate one into our busy lives for the sake of our creative mind. I took her advice to heart, promising to do one soon, which turned into weeks. Too soon, I faced the beginning of April.

The treadmill of activity began to roll. Flying to an out-of-state conference. Writing assignments. A two-day workshop for career changing alumni at my alma mater. Housekeeping tasks. Prepping to speak at another conference. My creative mind groaned.

Suddenly, I fell off the treadmill. Tired and drained, I was sick for a week, and all I could do was rest. When I wasn’t in the bathroom.

There was redemption in all of this, though. I enjoyed time with friends who threw me a surprise party. Laughter really is a great healer. I’ve been reading a couple of books, just because. And I took some long naps.

What’s the takeaway in this? As Valerie said, our bodies need mentally and physical rest. It’s up to us to do whatever we need to do to make that happen. Yes, the things I did were beneficial for my writing career, but I barely had time to breathe. Because I chose to ignore my body’s signals to slow down, it slowed itself down for me.

Your creative mind has to take a break. Let it. Put that day of rest into your schedule. Watch your productivity grow.

Your body will thank you for it.