Slow Sunday Stitching/Resting

It's Slow Stitching Sunday - the day of resting, moving slowly, breathing deeply, and hand stitching. Resting is an activity, and is a verb. To rest means to "cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength" (Mirriam-Webster Dictionary). In past generations, people believed that resting was an essential element in a healthy, well balanced life. But now I often hear (and have believed) that resting is not valued. For many people rest = lazy, and it's something you only do on vacation once a year (unless you get completely burned out before then and your body makes you go on a forced leave!)

I have only learned the value of rest in the past few years, and realized that the ability to power down your brain, and let it heal itself is vital to wellness. Of course getting enough sleep is also important, but I'm talking about being able to be in a restful state while awake, to take a complete break from your activities and your worries, and to achieve a state of deep relaxation. 

The quickest way for me to accomplish total restfulness is by hand stitching. When I'm hand stitching, I am not thinking about anything else except where the next stitch is going. And I must pay attention to this task, because injuries are caused by inattentiveness. When I don't focus, I poke myself with the needle and bleed! 
I take deep breaths, I focus only on the next stitch, and I don't allow any worries to enter my mind. 
So every Sunday I am writing a permission slip for you (and me) to take some time to fully relax! You are not being lazy. Get out your hand stitching project and know that you are investing in your own wellness by relaxing and taking good care of yourself.
Here's the link up if you want to share how you are relaxing with your hand stitching today.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up