Taking Time Off is Essential, Don’t Wait Until You’re on Empty
Caring well for your wellbeing is not selfish, it’s strategic.
I was recently inspired by a post by Liz Fosslien on LinkedIn. I wholeheartedly agreed with her, though I would tweak her quote slightly to “your mental [overall] health is the foundation for your ability to do great work.” Not just your mental health.
🧠 Yes, your mental wellbeing is important, and…
💪🏻 Your physical wellbeing is important.
🫶 Your social/relational wellbeing is important.
🙏 Your spiritual wellbeing is important.
Resting is essential to your ability to be optimal. But rest is more than having margin or getting sleep. There are actually seven types of rest!
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Sensory
Creative
Social
Spiritual
Too often we think we need permission or to earn being away from work. But rest is not meant to simply be a reward for hard work, but instead a healthy rhythm we all need for wholistic well-being. As a person who follows Jesus, it’s something I recognize as modeled by God himself from the point of creation. No matter your spiritual views, science supports rest should be a routine practice. When was the last time you prioritized rest?
In today’s fast-paced world, there is never an optimal time to create space for rest. Your schedule, work, and life will always demand more from you than you can give. And if you’re a people-pleaser (no judgement — I wrestle it, too!) then you are often creating new demands for your time when you say yes too swiftly. Prioritizing breaks and rhythms of rest must become natural and routine if we want to care for our overall wellbeing.
A critical journey I’ve been on in recent years is seeking healthy identity. As a Christian, I should be able to believe whole-heartedly what Dr. Rob Reimer says: “the issue of my value was settled at the cross.”
My value is not held in my performance.
My value is not cradled in other’s opinions of me, or their ability to like or love me.
My value is not rooted in my profession, community and church service, nor my titles.
No, my value and the foundation of my identity is deeply rooted in the knowledge that I’m fully known, fully held, and fully loved by my Creator. Knowing I could never do anything to earn God’s love (Ephesians 2:8). I could never do anything to deserve the redemption of the cross, and therefore I can never do anything to change his mind (John 3:16, Romans 8:38-39.) Knowing deep in my soul that I am his, and he is mine (Song of Songs 6:3).
And IF this is true, then I do not have to set the preciousness of my worth upon the fragility of performance or the finicky opinions of humans. I also don’t have to wrap it up into where I work or what my role is. I can rest in the peace of knowing the success of all the things does not rest upon my shoulders.
And WHEN I can walk in this confident belief — I can then be the best version of myself and show up well (and unplug well). I can “lead FROM Light.” Because I know who I am, and I know Whose I am. And when I lead from that, I lead from a source that gives me access to an unending well of love, joy, peace, kindness, forbearance, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galations 5:22-23 — aka the fruit of the Spirit).
If you take nothing else away from this blog post, I hope you’ll remember that you are more than what you do. And you are worthy of rest; you need it like you need nourishment. Care well for your overall wellbeing. Your work will benefit, too.
Your vocational wellbeing is important, but it can’t be at the expense of your overall wellbeing — because (as Liz puts it) “your [overall] wellbeing is the foundation for your ability to do great work.”
