“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Learning to Listen

As I write this, I am in my second trimester of pregnancy, and I am exhausted. Before pregnancy, I prided myself in how much I could do in 24 hours: how many emails I could respond to, how many meetings I could juggle, and which new dish I could experiment with in the kitchen.

Now, everything has changed. These days, I consider myself productive if I accomplish two things on my to-do list—and one of them is a nap. Early on in the pregnancy, I was told by many people that my body is working hard to create a new life. Although I recognized and acknowledged the beauty and gift of that life, I couldn’t help feeling ashamed at my lack of energy and minimal productivity outside of forming a little human.

Each time I would read the verse “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), I would inwardly cringe. I would tell the Lord, “I don’t want to rest; I want to work.” Even now, I struggle not to become discouraged when I cannot do more of what I ambitiously plan to do when I wake up in the morning.

But even with my stubbornness, my body has a louder megaphone. Without noticing it, one minute I will be working on the couch, and the next minute, I will be asleep. One minute I will be running errands or going on a walk with my husband, and the next minute, my body will gently tell me it is time to pause, breathe, and sit for a few minutes.

For years, I was the relentless taskmaster of my body. Now, it has regained its proper place, and I am learning to listen.

A New Resolution

As 2023 begins, many, myself included, are making resolutions. Among our resolutions to eat well and exercise more, may I propose one more? To rest more.

In the January 2015 Meeting with Families, Pope Francis shared, “Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God’s voice and understand what he asks of us.”

He went on to say that we must be able to rest in the Lord, and to pray is to rest in the Lord. We are to schedule time with God first, for without prayer, we can accomplish very little. 

In addition to the spiritual aspect of rest, there are seven other areas of rest that we can commit to fostering in the new year (as categorized by physician and work-life integration researcher Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith):

• Mental—for example, the need for brain breaks and journaling.

• Emotional—for example, expressing feelings and eliminating people-pleasing.

• Social—for example, surrounding ourselves with positive and supportive people.

• Sensory—for example, reducing stimuli that cause our senses to feel overloaded.

• Creative—for example, appreciating nature and the arts.

• Physical—for example, sleep and exercise.

• Spiritual—for example, praying, meditating, and getting involved in our community.

In her book “Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity,” Dr. Dalton-Smith says that most people are lacking in one of these areas. This lack could explain why many of us still feel exhausted after eight hours of sleep.

(If you are lacking in the area of physical rest, I recommend following Dr. Carleara Weiss on Instagram. She is a sleep science adviser focused on sharing educational content about sleep and circadian rhythms for quality life and wellness for women, shift workers, parents, athletes, and older adults.)

Giving myself permission to rest is still difficult. However, I am slowly learning to lean into the daily naps and the frequent breaks—and to thank God for these opportunities. My hope is by the time this little one makes its way into the world, it will find a more well-rested momma.

Valentina Imhoff, MBA is a career coach helping women encounter God through their work. She has lived and worked in 6 countries and has 10 years of experience in manufacturing, dental research, state government, and people analytics. In addition to coaching, she facilitates online courses with Encounter Ministries and does part-time recruiting. When she isn’t working, you can find her snuggling on the couch with her husband, a good book and their crazy cat. You can connect with her at fiatcareercoaching.com.