By Hannah Peddle:
Full honesty here: I was asked to write a blog about rest and its importance for holistic wellbeing, increased focus, and productivity when you’re back in the swing of things. But I’m going to flip this a bit. What I’m going to share is a tad more personal than a fun outdoor adventure and a few statistics. I’m going to share my “why” behind my work-life balance boundaries and love of the outdoors. So, here you go—a not so typical blog on rest and work-life balance.
It’s true, I love being out in nature and usually have a recent account of an outdoor adventure. For example, my husband and I recently took a long weekend to camp up with some friends on the Mogollon Rim (peep all the pics throughout this blog).
Side note: If you haven’t been, the Mogollon Rim is beautiful. I highly recommend driving through Payson, past Pine and Strawberry, continuing up (yes, up!) for another 30 minutes or so, turning off onto Forest Road 141, and meandering about until you find your campsite of choice. Peace awaits you. Oh, and for a real adventure, drive on FR300 and hike down to the old railroad tunnel.
But there’s so much more to my love for nature and being outside in general.
For me, time spent in nature is like a reset. It takes me out of the rush of the day and the hubbub in my mind to give my brain space to wander, my eyes a chance to look at the leaves on the trees, and let my skin soak up some sunshine.
Being out-of-doors is just one way I stay balanced and well. I also take seriously the need for sleep, exercise, tech-free time, creative outlets, eating right, time with friends and family, and play.
But I still haven’t gotten to my “why”…
My “Why” for Prioritizing Rest and Work-Life Balance
You see, I’m the oldest of 5. When I was 7, my parents became licensed foster parents for kids 0-24 months. During the 9 years they were licensed, 20-30 kids came through our home, four of whom my parents adopted. I view my adopted siblings as if they are my biological siblings but the reality is that they each had a rough beginning. Even if they grew up from day 1 in our home, they spent 9 months in a less than ideal environment in utero.
The reality of their mental and physical health struggles, living with constant change from placements coming and going, and knowing why these kids were removed from custody taught me a lot about the brokenness of this world at a young age. Though it became normal for me, I still internalized it all. As I got older it became hard to grapple with.
In my immaturity, I didn’t always handle it the right way; escapism (reading was my primary mode) or grasping for control (manifesting in anger and poor eating habits). But as I matured and my parents continued to model resilience, patience, grace, and empathetic boundaries, I began finding my own way to be resilient and to have healthy boundaries.
I developed my commitment to rest and work-life-balance out of necessity. I’ve floundered with it at times, but that just shows me how much I really do need it.
What I Really Want to Communicate
So, for me, rest, work-life balance, and holistic wellbeing aren’t tools for being my best self. They aren’t to be wielded for productivity and being able to push forward even more (though these are indeed natural byproducts that are super-duper helpful for a high achiever like me). Rather, it’s about being at peace with not being invincible, allowing for that, and showing up fully when I step back into life—whether I stepped away for a vacation or a short walk.
For me, this is found in my faith as well as my daily, monthly, and yearly habits. So, when I take a long weekend to go camping a few times a year, I’m doing more than resting in order to come back like a rocket. I’m acknowledging my real situation as finite, relinquishing my hold on everything, and coming back full so I can pour out for others rather than for myself. The personal benefits are simply a nice byproduct.
Additional food for thought: Is rest really rest if it’s just a tool being wielded for further productivity? If rest is an item on my to-do list, am I really being restful while I’m resting? Or am I still being productive? Are rest and productivity mutually exclusive? How can we truly rest?
