REST

Rest should take up more of our life than food. We all need rest to grow and regenerate, to learn and experience life. But one way or the other, we don’t get enough of it, thinking we can do away with rest.

No human can do away with rest because it will surely catch up with you, that is why we normally say you can’t cheat nature. No matter how strong and healthy one may be, you can’t work without feeling tired and stress up. We can never be like a machine that is the more reason why we should rest.  Irrespective of the hectic nature of our jobs, we should find time to rest and make the best out of it.

There is no particular time assigned for individuals to rest. Just rest at every opportune time that may come your way.

Let’s look at some importance of rest in four points.

Physical Rest

When one rest, there are some physical benefits the body derived. Having enough sleep relaxes the body and allows the body parts to function as well. According to some researchers, physical rest is about actively using the body's processes, such as breathing, to calm body and mind. This is done through deep breaths

Scientist has shown that breathing deeply fills the lungs with oxygen, and opens up collapsed air spaces, sending richly oxygenated blood around the body.

Mattew J. Edlund in his book, the power of rest stated that, “when one go to sleep, it is like "turning off," turning that light switch off in your bedroom, along with all your electronic devices. Except that in even such "passive" rest like sleep, you're entirely rewiring your brain; creating new neural pathways and slowing down or ending others; learning; remembering; thinking out new responses to problems; remaking your athletic capabilities; renewing and remaking your bones and muscles, and rapidly growing new skin, far faster than when you're awake”.

Social Rest

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. After long years of work, create a home away from home by spending time with the family, friends, colleagues and love ones. No matter how busy one may be, it is vital to change environment and be with the right person you would want to be with.

Research has shown that, socialization isn't just pleasant, it is crucial for our survival, with sociable people at reduced risk of heart disease and other serious illnesses. It is further explained that, social support can help one survive a cancer diagnosis, fight off infectious illness and ease depression as well as reducing one risk of dying from heart attack. Chatting with friends has been shown to reduce levels of stress hormones and provide hormonal and psychological benefits.

Refrain from negative thinking when alone and always try to be with friends and family to help you rest your mind.

Mental Rest

Today we all try to do too many things at once: texting while driving, eating while watching TV and we have lost an understanding of the brain's need to focus on one thing.

Doing this for even a short period has been shown to affect the nervous system, change blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. The idea behind mental rest is to focus on something simple rather than engrossing yourself with complex stuff. (Source: Dr. Matthew J. Edlund, the power of rest).

Research indicates that, it is always good to relax, close your eyes and try to mediate upon positive things in order to expand the brains.

Spiritual Rest

God knowing the importance of rest and He resting on the 7^th day leaves us with no choice than to take the matter of rest serious.

Genesis 2:2 says, “The 7^th day came and God stopped working because he had finished making the earth. God rested on the 7^th day. If the maker Himself, who doesn’t get tired nor need rest, rested on the 7^th day after making the earth, then why should we humans keep on working and making our selves busy without resting. Resting does not necessarily mean we are tired but it is a necessity to fulfil even if we don’t feel tired.

It is always good to rest in the Lord. Hebrews 4:10 says that, for anyone who enters Gods rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. Many people interpret this scripture for the dead but Matthew 11:28 says, come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.

It is always important to cast our burdens to God, and surrender all our troubles, problems and trials to him to be able to have enough rest in him. Too much of everything as we always say is bad, too much food in the body sometimes causes illness and give infection. Matthew 4:4 says Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. Fasting is a form of spiritual rest as well as physical rest for the stomach and the intestines.

People perceives that resting is for lazy people and that rest is a passive way of wasting time and money. Our body forces us to rest when it is stressed too much by breaking down. Why break down, before you rest when you know the right prescription for good health is rest. 

Therefore, find time to rest and don’t use all your leave days to attend occasions, write exams or see to family urgency. Use some to rest before you are forced to rest.