We often think we need a vacation to rest.

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That to get away from from the familiar is what we want.

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So we take a trip and run around seeing all we can see.

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Sometimes, we come back more tired than when we left.

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With the limited time we give ourselves to not work, we push ourselves to get the most out of it.

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Getting up early each day to see another attraction, another location, another site.

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While going away and seeing the beauty of the world is a wonderful thing to do, it should not be mistaken for rest.

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Travel is a great past time to expand our horizons and make wonderful memories.

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Yet travel is work, not rest.

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It is another activity we do that fills up our days.

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Of course, it is usually enjoyable.

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Yet rest is something else.

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When we have been working for a long time and our brains and our bodies need a break, sometimes what we really need is rest.

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For rest is not about doing something.

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It is not about going somewhere else.

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And it is not about stressing ourselves to have a good time.

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Rest is taking a break.

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Taking a break from from our day to day life.

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Or letting go of the need to accomplish or do anything.

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When we truly rest we give ourselves a chance to connect to ourselves.

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To just be.

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Without putting any expectations on ourselves.

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Rest is about truly letting go of all that we think we have to do.

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And just exist without the need to get anything done.

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This does not mean that there is not great value in taking a trip or going to someplace new.

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But let us not mistake that for truly getting rest.

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For allowing ourselves to just be.

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And giving space to all that we feel.

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Doing nothing but allowing ourselves to breathe and take time to do nothing.

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Restoration and rejuvenation only occur when we truly rest.

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So why do we resist it so much?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant

Host of The Conscious Consultant Hour