Resting is something that I struggle with. It’s something that is non-existent in my world because I’m always off saving lives like super woman. Whenever my friends need me, I am always readily available to help. Immediately, I drop what I’m doing to come to their rescue. I admit that I feel guilty when I rest because there are just too many friends to help.
A good friend of mine asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Before signing up for this gig, I knew how much time and energy it would take since this was my 6th time being a bridesmaid. Despite that, my friendship with her was worth more important than all the time and energy it would take to help out with the wedding. That was when I became a bridesmaid once again.
The week before the wedding was the one most stressful time for me as I helped my friends put the final touches on their wedding. During that week, I found myself being a yes-man to all the last minute tasks, which caused me to deplete my energy.
As I woke up on the wedding day, I realized that I cannot be super woman and try to do everything. I didn’t want to be the tired person that I was the previous week. I felt like I needed to save my sanity, but how? I knew for a fact that the bride, groom, and wedding party were usually running around like crazy people and never having a chance to catch their breaths on the wedding day.
Before the wedding chaos began, I had to remind myself to rest because I knew I would collapse before the ceremony even started. Luckily, the wedding schedule allowed for a little down time. Instead of making sure I helped the bride during that time, I checked in with myself and made sure I received the rest that I needed. I gave myself permission to rest and not feel guilty for resting.
During the break, I walked into the nursery and sat on a rocking chair. While other moms were nursing their babies on the rocking chair, I nursed my “sanity baby.” Out of the seven other bridesmaids, I trusted that one of the bridesmaids was taking care of the bride, so I can focus on my sanity baby. My sanity baby had been crying all week long because I’ve been neglecting her. Now, I finally could care for my sanity baby for a good thirty minutes. Soon enough, my sanity baby quickly stopped crying and slept soundly.
After resting, I wasn’t just a bridesmaid that just survived the wedding, but I became a thriving bridesmaid that had energy to be the best bridesmaid and the most social person I could be. I could focus better on the bride and the groom and my tasks as a bridesmaid to make the wedding a success. Most of all, I’m thankful that I gave myself permission to rest.
I hope you will not feel guilty about resting and taking care of yourself. It’s important that you listen to your body telling you to slow down and catch your breath. Give yourself permission to rest. Your body and sanity will thank you in the long run.
