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Sleep is Not a Sign of Weakness
I posted a poll last week to get a little background on the sleeping habits of youth workers. I wasn’t surprised to see that as of this writing, only 21% of youth workers who participated got 8 or more hours of sleep on a typical night. What’s the deal?
For some reason, people who sleep more seem to get a bad rep – that the need for sleep somehow makes you weak. And while I seem to be able to get by with a little less sleep then normal (I average 6-7 hours a night), there’s some great benefits to a youth worker getting some serious rest. Here’s a few reasons you should skip late night television and sleep in late “accidentally” once a month:
Sleep gives you a chance to clear your head - make that big decision in the morning! If there’s any way possible to make a call the next day instead of under pressure when you’re fried at the end of the day – move it to morning. A good night’s rest often has a clearing effect – plan your most important meetings first thing.
Sleep gives you a chance to cool off - if there’s tension in a relationship or an urge to respond to an email that triggers you, save it to drafts and wait until morning. You’ll be more likely to respond in a Christ-like way after a good night’s rest. Rarely will you regret a slightly delayed decision, too often the next morning you’ll regret the decision made the night before. Don’t respond and regret. There’s a reason the phrase “sleep on it” has survived even in our fast-paced society.
Sleep encourages balance in your life - we were made to need rest. You can’t escape it! Try as we might, a lack of sleep will eventually catch up with you. Focus on balance in your schedule with adequate time for tasks, relationships and rest.
Go to sleep!
JG
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Amen to THAT! I left the office an hour early today to take a nap! It was a great reward to myself for the hard schedule I’ve been working lately.
I love what my mentor says “sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is SLEEP!”
[...] Goodnight, sweetheart | Catch up on sleep Don’t waste the whole day away in bed – but definitely carve out some time to sleep. With kids in school I can’t exactly sleep in, but I can get to sleep earlier or try to squeeze in a nap. Pushing yourself hard during the work week is acceptable, even required at times, so make sure you balance it out on the other end. Remember, sleep is not a sign of weakness. [...]