Life today is an often-overwhelming juggling skill. There is a 3-ring circus inside us: to our turbulent daily thoughts, add the emotions of worry, fear, and depression. Then throw in the events we take in from the outside world every day, and you get the picture. Yikes, it is scary in there!
Wayne Muller in his book Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in our Busy Lives examines a major cause of our weariness and angst. “It happens in thousands of unconscious events, tasks, and responsibilities that seem easy and harmless on the surface.” Each consumes a small portion of our precious life force. We tell ourselves, this one little conversation, this one extra phone call, this one quick meeting, what can it cost?
Yet, it does cost, each drains our life energy. Then, at the end of days, weeks, months, and years, we burn out, and cannot see where it happened. In other words, the debilitating influence of stress accumulates.
An Antidote
The good news is there is hope, a solution. Most of the world’s religions and spiritual traditions give us a commandment, Remember the Sabbath. Rest is an essential enzyme of life, as necessary as air. Rest is nature’s medicine. We cannot sustain the activity of daily life without rest. We need to be proactive about getting rest, or we will pay a price.
There is another dilemma, however, and that is that we have forgotten how to rest. How many times have you heard someone say they can’t relax or sleep? They see their relationships at home and work deteriorating, and their physical and emotional health suffering. The 3-ring circus mentioned above, and the resulting overwhelm are the culprits, so what can we do?
A great place to start is to learn how to MEDITATE and then practice it. This simple mental technique calms your mind, brings deep healing rest to your body, and peace to your emotional turmoil. Seek the counsel of a skilled teacher, ideally one with extensive experience. The practice will transform your life as it aligns you with nature’s most essential healing force, deep rest.
Hundreds of scientific studies validate the benefits of meditation; that’s why doctors and health professionals recommend it. For those with an interest in learning more, we provide free introduction classes.
Greg Schweitzer
Stress Reduction Resources
