Thoughts on… Involuntary Rest

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It sucks.

There. I’ve said it. I hate being injured. I hate it when my body doesn’t cooperate with my mind. I have miles to run, weights to press, and calories to burn. Lying on my mom’s couch and typing on my iPad was not on my schedule for today.

So, how do I spend this (what I would consider) unproductive time? I am looking up treadmills online. I am reading a (affiliate link) fitness book. I am thinking about all of the holiday weight that I’ve gained. It’s frustrating and disheartening. I can’t even sit up long enough to work on my computer, write goals for the new year, or go out to a movie.

And yet… we do all need rest. On the seventh day, God rested.

How do I change my thoughts and mind to redefine rest as a good thing? What tools and tricks to do I need to change my attitude?

As I lie here, I am going to reflect on the benefits of rest (voluntary or involuntary):

1. Time to read. I love to read and hope that I can get a little more done before the end fo the year (difficult because I am staying at my parents’ home right now and the television is almost always on).

2. Time to heal. Obviously, my body is upset. Maybe by giving it a day or two of nothing, I can avoid the awful month long back injury that I suffered last spring.

3. Time to relax. As a general rule, I do not relax. Relaxing is not on my to-do list. Relaxing means that other things don’t get accomplished. Mabye it’s time.

4. Time to listen. Although my husband is currently in bed and my kids are in the other room on their screens, maybe today will be the day that I finally listen to them and am not distracted by the rest of my daily tasks.

5. Time to plan. This may be a long shot considering that I am in pain and I have extended family all around me, but maybe I’ll have some time to start planning my hopes, dreams, and goals for the new year as I lay here and ponder. I’m considering planning on my blog monthly book clubs (special needs fiction) and possibly self-help books applicable to career women. The ideas floating through my head need time to settle, be processed, and maybe even planned.

6. Time to empathize. Times like this help me to empathize with my husband, who is in this state 100% of the time.  It was only after my back injury last spring that I realized some of the hopes/dreams I had for my family could literally never happen because of the insane pain that my husband cannot escape (think: moving to Singapore to teach for a few years). I hate these reminders because I figure one parent with terrible, debilitating pain is enough. But, that isn’t always how life works. God never promises two parents, let along two healthy parents, just as he never promised healthy children or wealth.

So there are my thoughts. I’m trying to think positively in the midst of challenges this year. Thank you for reading through my rambling thoughts and whining. And now… I’m going back to that fitness book that I started this morning!