Without ever intending for it to happen, many people find themselves caught up in the modern-day whirlwind of activity and overload. Our culture is defined by go-go-go and despite being blessed with many labor-saving devices, these only serve to actually make us even more busy — for the faster we’re able to get things done, the more we take on, and the more we take on, the more we have to do, increasing our busyness factor to even greater levels than before.

In many ways, this type of lifestyle has created a “culturally induced ADD” — sending you off every which way, promising to fill your life with lots of action but not much substance. The constant go-go-go gives a false sense of accomplishment that you are doing stuff, but despite all of the hullabaloo, at the end of it you’re not left with much.

Sadly enough, it doesn’t look like we can turn to modern society for help and technology has only proven to exacerbate the problem. The solution, surprisingly, can be found in the wisdom from societies and teachings of centuries past and is accomplished by setting apart one day per week that is dedicated as a “day of rest.”

In the Judeo-Christian world for example, their day of rest is the Sabbath — one day out of seven devoted to rest, reflection and recommitment. In the Buddhist tradition they practice Uposatha a similar concept where one day per week is set apart for “the cleansing of the defiled mind,” resulting in inner joy.

Whether you are religious, spiritual, or atheist it doesn’t matter — all can benefit from the principle behind this practice.

Automobiles and machines in general do not function at their optimal levels unless they are regularly tuned up. Our body, mind, heart, and spirit follows the same principle. It has been proven many times over that constantly pushing yourself only leads to burnout, breakdown and eventual disease. The ever-increasing pace of our modern society is only making this deterioration pass by quicker. The solution is to give ourselves regular “tune-ups” by making the habit of setting aside our own personal day of rest. A Sabbath day if you will.

So what exactly do you do on a day of rest? Do you just loaf around all day or sleep the day through? Well, maybe if that’s what you need. But perhaps you’ll have a better idea of what you might decide to do if I share with you some of the activities that are part of my weekly “tune-up.”

Here are some of the things I like to do on my day of rest:

• Reflect on the week gone by.
• Plan for the upcoming week.
• Review prior goals and set new ones.
• Read in the “wisdom literature” of the past.
• Visit relatives
• Enjoy “quiet time” in nature by myself or with my family.
• Meditate or pray
• Take a nap (however, since doing Polyphasic sleeping, this has become a regular activity)

All in all, your day or rest should be a day to leave the week behind you. To stop working or even thinking about work. It should be a different day from all the rest. One that you look forward to with excitement and expectation. It’s a day to stop looking to the outside world for distraction or entertainment. It’s a day to be quiet, to sit back and reflect on all the gifts and blessings of your life and the things which you take for granted. It’s a day for nature and beauty and spirituality; a day for family, friends and God.

A day of rest doesn’t affect us only when we are resting. It spills over into our weeks, our months, and our entire lives. Even the most difficult of weeks becomes tolerable because you know that this day is just over the horizon.

If you make the habit of doing this regularly, I promise that it will improve your health, strengthen your relationships, sharpen your mind and revive your spirit. That’s a lot to promise, I know. But that is the power of your day of rest.