Friday, October 26, 2018

Rest at Home


Hello Ladies,  

A friend and I were discussing ideas for having a day off in the home. Usually around my house, it is a day off for the one who has a birthday. We were talking about how the whole family could have a day off from their usual chores.

Painting by Albert Lynch

Taking time off would require some careful planning, particularly for meals and cleanup. Food could be prepared the previous day. 

Children would be free to do whatever interested them, from having adventures within the realm of home and yard, to painting a picture, and just about any thing as long as it didn't prevent some other family member from having a peaceful day of rest.
Morgan Westling (American)

Ladies who take a little time for water color or some other quick art or craft have lowered their blood pressure,  decreased anxiety and developed confidence and physical stamina.



Spend a little time gathering some things to spoil yourself with for your time off at home. You might want to locate your favorite books and teas, bath products, craft and art supplies, movies and music and other things.

Another friend of mine said she gets a pile of reading material and sits in a comfortable chair with a blanket , then proceeds to read to her heart's content.

I wondered how I would take a day off without planning a schedule for it, but it naturally fell into place. I did have to make sure the kitchen was clean and the laundry caught up so that I could truly relax. It was hard for me because I do not like to sit still for very long. 

I want to share with you what someone told me about the importance of rest for women, to prevent strain on their backs and to promote good health in other areas:

Never stand, when you can sit, 
and never sit when you can lay down.
Ilya Repin

I can certainly understand that. We go, go, go, like we are racing to a finish line and we imagine it promotes good health, but some of us have found out it is not good at all, and that rest is just as health-giving as exercise.  You might notice after only a minute or two of rest, how your body seems to revive and refresh! You may ask, "How long should I recline and rest?"
 but you do not really have to ask that, because your body will begin to "tell" you when you have had enough rest and you will feel a good urge to do something after only a few minute's recumbency.

Someone else told me she loves to sit in her reclining chair and look through cookbooks.  That is such a great idea, since one does not often look through a cookbook unless desperately trying to find a recipe for a certain occasion.  Leisurely looking through these books is a lot more relaxing, and then you will become more familiar with where the menus and recipes are.


Maybe you cannot take a full day off, but you can take "moments off" throughout the day. Recently while sewing for an entire day, I tried it. I sewed "step one" on the sewing instruction sheet, and then got up from the chair for a refreshing drink and a walk around the house, inside or out.  After sewing "step two" on the instruction sheet, I arose from the sewing chair and put in a load of laundry. After step 3, I put dishes into the dishwasher, and after step 4, I cleaned the bathroom sink.  After other steps in the sewing project, I relaxed with a little bit of gentle rocking on my outdoor swing, and after sewing a seam,  I was able to walk outside,  breathing in the lovely scents of the season. I was quite surprised that the sewing project was finished in a day. I usually try to sit and sew until something is finished but it is very tiring. 

We bring nice things into our homes to make the place comfortable for everyone, and yet for vacations we want to get away from it. This is a way to make those investments pay off.  

Mr. S. gets so much done, I am always trying to figure out how he does it. I finally observed that he does things for ten or twenty minutes and then gets up and does  something on his list that requires physical activity. He completes a lot of things without tiredness setting in. 

The free online homemaking coach called Flylady suggests taking 15 minutes to work on a room where there are things that need to be sorted through, instead of trying to complete it all at once. In a busy home where there are meals to be made and floors to be swept, and people to look after, this makes time for everything else. I have done this when I was painting walls. I painted one wall and then put the paint supplies away.  Years ago I would take a week off to paint and make myself miserable, but now I am experiencing the success of doing things in increments. 

As I was asking around about taking time to rest at home, one lady told me she makes sure she has a day to spend time taking  care of her hair and her skin. I knew immediately that was why she was looking so vibrant and healthy!

Take time to look out the window, walk outside, sit on the porch, smell the scents, and really listen to the children. The resting times make the rest of you function a lot better. The more often you rest, the more it combats the world's stress. Rest builds strength physically and emotionally.
  
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah  30:15

Frank Weston Benson


Take a little time also and look up the artists and the paintings for many more. Morgan Westling had a lot of paintings of women in creating relaxation, painting, reading, writing, etc.



7 comments:

Sarah Coller said...

Yes! These are such important times to work into our lives. I have recently found out that we are expecting baby #10 after a long season of infertility. One of the very first things I've done to prepare for this new season is to give our family Fridays "off". I do still have my helpers and I preparing meals but the rest of the day is spent in relaxation and pursuing creative pleasures without doing any school work and just the basic chores. Our home feels more relaxing already!

Janet W. said...

I agree either the concept of “never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lay down”.
I work so hard many days that I am physically exhausted and fall asleep if I do sit down, often in a sitting position. After work like that sometimes I must take a day or two of very light work for my muscles to recover. I notice this more now that I’m in advanced years. I must share that I’m also helping take care of two very active school aged great-grandchildren.
God knew what he was doing when he gave babies to young folks!
Janet Westrup

Janet W. said...

If I’m physically stressed and can get away to a quiet secluded spot for 30 mins. to 1 hour and take a refreshing nap then restore my blood sugar with a bit of protein and a cup of tea, I’m pretty much good to go for another 5 hrs or so.
If I’m emotionally stressed, I must camp out in the Bible as well as get extra sleep.
Janet Westrup

SheLaughs said...

I used to be so proud of the fact that I had so much energy and that I could go-go-go until I collapsed. But strangely enough, having children slowed me down. The constant sickness of the pregnancy, coupled with The determination to breastfeed on demand meant that I spent long hours curled up in bed I'll, or I n the couch under a sleeping infant. At first it drove me insane, especially with my first child. I worked in a clinic at the time and was constantly running around caring for patients, and then crashing at home, exhausted. And then when the baby came along and I watched my neat, orderly home turn to rubble around me, I was devestated. Now with my third, and likely my last, baby (doctor doesn't believe we should have more due to how desperately ill I am during pregnancy) I am cherishing these slow, messy moments. I spend time snuggling with the nursling while reading and my older two children as we do our best to keep the house in order, to some degree. I still struggle to not throw a fit every time I see a mess but I am doing my best. It's not easy but the sitting and snuggling are worth it.

Southern Ladye said...

I am a firm believe in Flylady's admonishment of doing something for only 15 minutes. Our minds and bodies get weary when we spend hours and hours doing the same thing over and over and even if it is to take a five minute break to gather our thoughts, we should do it. I apply that to my classroom as well. We never spend over 15 minutes on an activity without taking some type of break. It truly helps you refresh and focus!

Sharon said...

When I get overwhelmed,Isit in the recliner and read your post and the Legacy of Home,I am rested and inspired.I am recovering from a stroke I had in July,Itire easily.I rest alot.Your post are so inspiring, th a k you for inspiring me,I plan to try a couple of your sewing projects. GOD bless,Sharon

Homemaker's Heart said...

Dear Lydia, I don't know why I missed this post when you originally posted it, but this is so true today. Even being home during this season in our life I feel so busy. Running here and there all day trying to get much more than my little list for the day. This is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for writing it. Who knew I would use it even today, July 2020!

Wishing you God's peace,
Dee