Rest with Practice
Many major religions set aside time each week for rest: In Judaism, the Sabbath is from Friday evening to Saturday evening. For Christians, Sunday is the traditional day. In Islam, Friday is a day of congregational prayer and pause. While the specifics vary, the message is consistent: take a break from your regularly scheduled life. This is not just a break from work—but a break from striving, from stress, from the idea that your worth is tied to what you produce.
Taking time off doesn’t always feel natural. In a world that rewards burnout and constant hustle, choosing to rest can feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable. But across traditions, we’ve been told for generations: you are more than what you accomplish. You deserve time to stop.
I used to frequent a show space in New York City. It was a pretty well-known theater in a growing neighborhood, and the owner could have easily packed the calendar to maximize ticket sales. But he didn’t. No matter how popular the shows got, he closed the venue every Tuesday. No meetings. No calls. No performances. He took his day of rest seriously, and I admired him for that. He didn’t wait to be exhausted—rest was part of his rhythm.
Watching him hold that boundary made me think about how I held my own.
There are times in my life when I’ve been in hustle mode. Fully booked, back-to-back, running on adrenaline. That’s when it’s hardest—and most necessary—to rest. I’ve learned that even short pauses help. A walk around the block in the middle of the day. A half day off. One full minute between tasks to breathe. Those small pauses remind me that rest doesn’t compete with productivity—it sustains it.
Rest isn’t lazy. It protects the part of us that thinks clearly, feels deeply, and shows up fully—and it refuels us, rebalances us, so we can return stronger. Even a few hours of intentional rest can reset my mind. It slows the spiral and brings me back to myself.
Religious or not, we all deserve a rhythm that includes pause. Not when everything’s done—but as part of what keeps us well.
ACTION: Put a break in your day today. Doesn’t matter how big or small—make it doable. A short walk, a quiet moment, even one full breath between tasks. Make rest part of your practice, not only your recovery.
