I’m going to guess you probably need a break. What is causing you stress when you get home? Is it the mountain of shoes by the door? Are the piles of dishes and laundry just too much? Does an overwhelming feeling take over? Do you feel pressure inside you building more than in your Instant Pot (lol)? You probably need a break. So today’s task in our 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love is to give yourself (and your family) a break!
This is part of the 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love! If you haven’t joined the challenge & my email list, you can do it here:
Today we’re on Day 10 of the Challenge: Give yourself and your family a BREAK!
When was the last time you took a break? Let’s look at today. Was your day anything like this?
- Throw your hair up in a bun
- Take the kids to school
- Rush to work
- Run around getting stuff done
- Feed the guinea pig and the dog
- Try to figure out dinner
- Barely have conversations with your family …
… or any variation on that theme, it’s very likely, friend, that you need a break.
I’m one of those people who thrive on busyness, but apparently God knew that I was taking it too far.
It really felt like God put on my heart to make the word “Margin” my word of the year in 2018. It was eye-opening. I read a devotional by pastor Craig Groeschel about leaving room in the MARGINS of your life. (It was SO GOOD!)
I also read a book about the Sabbath (taking a day to rest) called “The Hard Break” that really challenged me. Author Aaron Edelheit shared how 24/7 pressure and busyness can affect us mentally, physically and in pretty much every way. And I was absolutely feeling it. I already had high blood pressure, so this wasn’t doing me any good.
Last fall, I took a hard break from Social Media. Following the author’s recommendation, I also tried to say “No” every weekend (and I had to say NO to a lot of things) so that I could have one full day to “rest.”
This “break” helped me realize that I had a hard time disconnecting, unplugging or resting.
Stressful tension at home could be keeping us from having the love-filled home that we dream of. Since this challenge is designed to help us fill our homes with love, I’m sharing practical tips below to help us stress less and love more!
7 Tips to help you TAKE A BREAK!
- Start the morning with prayer or reading the Bible.
- Eat breakfast without multi-tasking
- Take a walk during lunch with a friend
- Sit at a park bench for just a few minutes
- Spend a few minutes with your dog (petting your fur baby can help reduce stress!)
- Sit with your spouse without the TV on (maybe put on some music!)
- Speaking of music, play a few favorites and just sit for a song or two (it’s all about taking a break!)
If you have any other tips that you have found help YOU take breaks, please share in the comments! They can be mini breaks you can take throughout the day or a whole weekend break — I’d love to hear your ideas!
Laughing (and taking breaks) thru Life,
Coppelia
8 thoughts on “Do You Need a Break? | 28 Day Challenge to Fill Your Home with Love”
Just the act of being still in a quiet place does wonder for one’s spirit. In this hectic society, “unplugging” can seems so difficult to do, but it is possible. Thank you for this post!
You’re welcome, Carrie Ann! And thank you for reading it. I’m glad it was a good reminder to “be still” and unplug. I find it challenging to do on a weekly basis, but it’s amazing the wonders it can do for our state of mind and, especially, the state of our home.
Your tips sound so helpful. Sometimes it takes a lot of determination to take those needed breaks away from busyness and especially social media. Blessings to you!
Thanks, Gayl! I’m so glad you found them helpful. And you are absolutely right — it can take plenty of determination and boundary-setting, but it’s worth it! Blessings to you, too!
This is excellent advice–and hard to follow through with a busy family. But whenever I followed the steps you have listed, my day went better. Now that I am retired it is easier. It is important to find balance between commitments and time for reflection or time to respond to the nudges that the Holy Spirit gives.
Carol, I love that you mentioned those Holy Spirit nudges! It’s true and something my mother always said it’s important to pay attention to. Thanks for reading and commenting! God bless!
Margin is so critical to a healthy lifestyle. I tend to dip into my margins more than I’d like, instead of respecting them for their intended use. Thanks for the encouragement to start again.
Lisa, I do the same! It’s a constant challenge to respect those margins, but we can do it!
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