Happiness Lab Podcast: Day of Rest

I recently enrolled in a Yale Coursera Course "The Science of Wellbeing" by Dr Laurie Santos. Through the course I have learned that often the things we assume that will make us happy, don't--and the things that we think will make us unhappy, make us happier. This made me think of the paradox of happiness. 

As a person of faith, the backwardness of happiness does not surprise me. The world says that success is measured in how much we complete, produce, and accomplish. It forces us to wear busyness as a badge of honour at the expense of life, hobbies, and rest. Busyness says we are accomplishing something that will make us more money, status, or success--the course shares that even if it is the case, it won't necessarily provide us the happiness we expect.

Sabbath, or a day of rest, is a Jewish custom also practiced by Christians. In the Hebrew tradition, it is practiced from Friday evening to the following Saturday evening. It is described as a command given by God to humanity to engage in rest alone. With no work or cooking, no chores or technology, it begs participants to create community and delight in respite.

Although I cannot speak to the Jewish practices of Shabbat (but the podcast linked below does) my experience with Sabbath practice has been a blessing and a gift. Less traditional than the Hebrew example, I still try to practice the time as a gift given by God intended to create true rest.

I try to turn off my phone, and do the things that are "delight" for me.Whether it's coffee and a good book at a local cafe, baking with a friend, or a walk in the nature of Burnaby Mountain, the goal is to slow down. Which is a bit counter-cultural to the dominant social narrative. Now, this is not to be confused with lounging. I could very easily binge a series on Netflix or spend my day on YouTube. But the goal is rest, not mindless entertainment.

Finding a full Sabbath day hasn't always been realistic for me, so I started with Sunday afternoons, and it's changed the feel of the week. I strive to honour God's gift of rest and reset the time so to start the week working from rest, rather than resting from work. 

To those who may want to start this practice, I hope you find the happiness in rest and the spiritual blessing God offers. It's easy to say "Oh, I'm too busy for that."

I dare you to try it. 

The badge of honour sometimes seems to be in saying, "So busy!" when asked how was your weekend, followed by the lengthy list of things that plagued your weekend. But I am much more delighted in saying, "Great, I read my book/bible outside in the sunshine." or, "I went for a walk and got bubble tea!" or...

"I didn't do a lot; it was nice."