Fear of Rest
Written by Danica Zomer at Midwest Mindset Counseling
Fearing rest, might initially sound like a strange concept. We all know that we need rest. We know it’s vital to our human existence. For anyone with a faith background, rest is one of the very first things taught in the Bible. God creates the earth in six days and then rests on the seventh day and later commands us to do the same thing. However, if you take a moment to think about your past week, how would you rate your rest? Did you sleep well? Did you spend time in the quiet? Does your mind feel rested or rushed? Summer can be a very busy time of year and we can easily lose track of the need to rest. In fact, we might even fear that if we rest or slow down, we will miss out on something.
If you’re an avid reader of these Mindful Moments articles, you’ve probably read our recommendations to slow down, notice the present moment, be still and find inner peace. But one of the most common push backs to actually living this out, is fear. Fear of rest can look like fear of not achieving, not reaching goals, or of missing out. And perhaps it’s part of our Midwest roots that keep us in the loop- we tend to find our value, meaning and purpose in our hard work ethic. We tend to live as if life is one big hurried, competition that requires us to go, go, go, in order to do all of the things and achieve all of our goals. And we often fear that if we stop living this way we might become lazy, worthless, or we might fall behind someone else who has not slowed down.
The interesting part of the human experience is that the opposite is actually true. Richard Carlson, author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff says, “fearful, frantic thinking takes an enormous amount of energy and drains the creativity and motivation from our lives.” We become unable to reach our full potential- and enjoyment. But if we shift our focus to the things that bring us inner peace, we are actually able to concentrate on what’s important in life. We are less distracted by our wants, desires, and concerns. This makes it easier to achieve goals, not harder.
So, speak truth to the fearful part of you that thinks inner peace and rest might keep you from reaching your goals. The truth is that rest is vital to a peaceful, loving life. Being relaxed will not keep you from achieving the goal. But quite the opposite, it might help you get there.
