A Worthwhile Goal for 2023: Slow Down
Sleep tourism is a thing—and it’s growing.
For many of us, vacation means travel. Going and doing. And to get our money’s worth, we want to do as much as possible. A hotel is just a place to shower, change clothes, and catch a few hours of sleep before we go, go, go again. Who checks into a hotel just to sleep?
Apparently, more and more people. Consider why we even take vacations. We want a break from our normal routine, a respite from work. But because we’re so busy, too many of us are also sleep- deprived, and a vacation ought to remedy that—if we’d only slow down long enough to rest.
More and more hotels are embracing our need for sleep. More than just offering us a bed and a decent pillow, they’re offering a variety of amenities to help us sleep. One hotel in London even has a sleep concierge. Hotels typically promote the things you can do at their hotel (meals, happy hour, proximity to attractions), but more hotels are now promoting what they offer to make your sleep pleasurable and truly restful.
- A menu of different pillows (based on options like if you sleep on your side or back)
- Weighted blankets
- Innovative soundproofing
- Sleep-inducing recordings
- Bedtime tea
- Scented pillow mist. [Source]
I applaud the hotels that are doing what they can to help us rest because we’re doing little to help ourselves rest. While a sleep vacation may sound appealing to you, it’s not enough to simply occasionally catch up on our sleep. We need to rest regularly and often.
With so much filling our calendars and to-do lists, getting the rest we need often takes a back seat to everything else. We’ve equated busyness with productivity and resting with laziness—and we support this viewpoint with Scripture!
“The diligent hand will rule, but laziness will lead to forced labor” (Prov, 12:24).
“The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied” (Prov. 13:4).
“There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk leads only to poverty” (Prov. 14:23).
But God also calls us to rest. Rest is so important it’s one of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20: 8-11). It would be a real game-changer for our lives if we set aside a day for rest, but the need for rest is not something that we reserve for one day a week. Our bodies need daily rest. I’m not telling you something you don’t know. Without rest, we’re susceptible to anxiety, depression, and a low mood. We need the physical, mental, and emotional boost rest provides.
This year do less and rest. I’ve realized I can’t do it all, so I’ve quit trying to do it all. Yet I discovered that, because I rest, I’m actually more productive. I’ve also discovered that by doing less, I enjoy what I do more.
You’re familiar with the fable of the tortoise and the hare. The tortoise went at a slower pace, but he accomplished just as much as the hare. In other words, he covered the same amount of ground, but instead of bursts of frenetic speed and energy followed by exhausted sleep, the tortoise plodded along at a slower pace and ended up the winner.
There’s a solid moral in that fable for us in our own frenetic-paced lifestyles. Do less. Take your time. Rest. You’ll still win.
Consider this as well. By going slower, the tortoise was able to enjoy the scenery around him. He could enjoy the moment. Enjoy what’s around you in this moment. Take it slow. You’ll get it done without exhausting yourself.
Goals for 2023:
- Do more by doing less.
- Rest
- Trust God in it all.
““My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Ex. 33:14).
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