“Tired? Go to bed. That’s the place for you.”
My husband likes to toss this my way when I yawn and say, “Dude, I. am. sleepy!” And it irks me, because I have lots to do. Going to bed right now isn’t on the list.
But he’s got a point. Why not just go to bed?
This post includes affiliate links for your convenience. Check out my Disclaimer to learn more.
In the book, The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith challenges readers to do just that. Spend a week going to bed when you’re tired. I tried that once. It was heavenly. For a week, I went to bed around 8:30pm. And I slept. And it was good.
It meant I had to reprioritize things. No more doing dishes-folding laundry-picking up toys-straightening the house-changing light bulbs-writing bills-decorating for the next random holiday-mending clothes…Um, do other people actually mend clothes these days?
Reread that chore list with me. What a mouthful! Who wants to spend your “free time” doing all that stuff? Why not recharge your mind, body and soul? Simply by sleeping.
And you know what? Our family survived the week when I declared 8:30 was bedtime!
More than survived actually.
Living out the one-week sleep challenge
Here’s what I discovered that week:
I was kickass productive
All the chores got done. I came home for lunch a couple times (saved some mullah – bonus!) I cut myself some slack. You mean the toys don’t have to go back into their specific-toy-branded box? You mean the legos can co-mingle with the trains? That’s right: any box will do, thank you very much. Locate random box, pick up random toy, toss, and done!
I was kickass gleeful
A rested momma is a happy momma. I laughed with my husband more. I hugged my little ones more. I waved at strangers more. I felt good.
Because I listened to my body and gave myself permission to sleep when I wanted to, when I needed to. Well rested, they call it. Gleefully rested, I call it.
What about you? If you’re tired, why not just go to bed? After all, that’s the place for you.
Try it for one week. Give yourself permission to let a few things go. Give yourself permission to sleep when your body craves it. Give yourself permission to write a new script that says, hey, sleep recharges the mind, body and soul (chores, not so much).
Let me know what you set aside. Let me know what you gained. Share your thoughts below or on Facebook at MothersRest.
Photo credit, featured image: Catt Liu from Unsplash.com
loved this one! i really need to do this more…I think my problem is that in order to feel relaxed and ready for bed, the house needs to be put together. Or maybe thats just an expectation I put on myself, not sure.
Interesting idea. Will have to try this soon, as I’m sitting here, yawning, thinking about making caffeinated coffee, and pumping at what still feels like an ungodly hour–6:35 am.