After weeks of stressing over school work, it feels so unusual to finally have nothing to do. With all the responsibilities I have in school and church, it's become normal for me to always be working, and to be honest, it is quite tempting to fill that void during the holidays. But I welcome this season of rest.
Over the past few months, I've learned to listen to my body more -- to be aware of my limits and be sensitive to my needs. Though I've always known to put my health before anything else, this past semester really pushed me to put that mindset into practice.
There were days when it was clear that my body needed to rest. But whenever I decided to take the day off to rest, my heart was heavy and burdened. The thought of having to catch up on every thing I would miss was something I couldn't keep of my mind, but I knew what I had to do.
I took my days off and I'm grateful that I did. My body returned to a state of health that I last felt in the summer. Not only was I recovering physically, my mental health was receiving the care that it needed; my mind was allowed to feel and process -- things I had not made time for because of my work.
Soon enough, I realized how helpful and necessary it was for me to regularly take breaks. While my responsibilities were important, my health was just something that was not up for debate. Realizing that, the worries I had about my work left my heart and in its place, joy and peace came and made its home.
This holiday season, I'm looking forward to all the rest that I'll be getting. The thought of sleeping in for a couple more hours in the morning after an already good night's rest has been on my head for weeks now. That and all the amazing food I'll be eating this Christmas break has got me very excited. I've also planned to have a marathon of all the movies and TV series I missed these past few months as well as read several books from my reading piles. Those will definitely keep me preoccupied and happy during the break.
Mostly, I'm excited for the moments of unexpected peace and restoration that will happen in the next few days. Those have always found its way into my life, restoring me more than I know. So here's to a holiday season full of healing, recovery, and joy -- a season of rest like no other.
