[10 minute read]

It’s Saturday and the clock strikes 4:30pm. The pre-recorded message begins to play through the library speakers telling me they will be closing in half an hour. My day of work is almost at an end, and I am drawing close to the start of my favourite time of the week: Sabbath. A weekly 24-hour pause from all things related to work or striving.

Nothing quite beats the feelings of relief and excitement that washes over me as I save my documents, consult my to-do list (which, honestly, is rarely completely checked off, but I’ve gotten used to that by now), take one quick look at my emails to ensure I have closed off any loops of communication and briefly make a note to myself about where I can pick up next time. Finally, I start shutting down my laptop, a device which I will keep off until Monday morning, and pack my things.

As I walk to the exit, I feel the weight of the week begin to leave me, as though I am setting each item down on the library floor with every step I take. When the fresh, outdoor air greets me, I smile knowing that rest has come for me once again. “Hello, Sabbath,” I say to myself, “I am so glad you’re finally here.”

Sabbath as a Model for Rest

Deriving from the Hebrew word shabbat, meaning “to stop” or “to delight,” Sabbath is an ancient Jewish practice of resting from one’s work—whatever form that takes—for a certain period of time, traditionally 24-hours, according to author John Mark Comer. It’s in the name: to participate in Sabbath is to stop and delight, setting one’s work aside to rest and recuperate.

Beyond being a religious practice or practical habit of pausing from one’s work for a day, I would suggest that Sabbath is a principle for living one’s life with balance and care—a way of living which is desperately needed in our fast-paced, hyper-connected, productivity-minded age.

As Barbara Baker Speedling of Holistic Health Studies at St. Catherine’s University Minneapolis writes, “Sabbath-keeping is a sacred gift from Judaism. Reviving the best parts of this ancient tradition of sacred rest is an antidote to many modern-day stresses.”

Speedling quotes Wayne Muller, an ordained minister and therapist, who describes the Sabbath in this way: “[Sabbath] is a gift of time in which we allow the cares and concerns of the marketplace to fall away.” This sacred gift invites each of us to step away from the marketplace—the context of our performance, striving and earning—to simply be human, to be ourselves outside of the roles which can demand so much of us, as good as those given roles or callings may be.

As John Mark Comer, author of Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, summarizes, “Sabbath is a way of saying ‘enough’.” Engaging in intentional rest affords each of us the opportunity to be renewed and revived in such a way that we may return to our work, energized to carry on.

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While I cannot hear your responses, dear reader, to what I have written so far, I can take a guess at the myriad of questions or comments which may have come up for you at this point. Isn’t work good, though? How else am I to afford this life, in this economy? This sounds too good to be true. Where would I even begin?

In what follows, I would like to suggest that the power of rest or Sabbath lies in the fact that the benefits outweigh the perceived costs of taking a day off from any work, paid or unpaid. We will first begin by considering the “whys” behind Sabbath, followed by short, practical suggestions for the “hows” of this practice.

Why We Need Rest: Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Considerations

Slowing down through a practice like Sabbath gives us the opportunity to pause physically, and when we do, we can pay closer attention to how our bodies feel. When we can tune in to what our bodies are saying, this allows us to respond more appropriately and to fittingly provide what is needed.

Some of us may recognize the experience of having been so focused on a given task that you did not even realize you were growing hungry or thirsty. Or how about when you were so fixated on your work, you did not clue into the fact that your back was starting to ache or that your legs were due for a stretch, perhaps a walk? I think of school teachers I know who share with me that their summer breaks typically begin with getting sick, a sign that perhaps they had been powering through the exhaustion just to make it to the year’s end, only to have their immune systems break down when they no longer needed to work.

The idea of turning our attention towards the experiences within our bodies is referred to as embodiment, and as Canadian psychologist and author Hillary McBride suggests, “embodiment invites us to see that our bodies are where life happens; being in our bodies brings us to life.” Rarely are we afforded the opportunity to take intentional physical pause, let alone say yes to the invitation from embodiment to be brought back to life.

Sabbath, then, offers us a different way forward by cultivating a regular rhythm of pausing and rest. Speedling notes that those who engage in Sabbath-keeping reported more satisfaction not just with the amount of rest they got, but also with the quality of that rest. Sabbath practices relate to better physical health and improved sleep. And who among us would truly say no to better sleep or health? Starting the practice of Sabbath could be a helpful starting point for increasing our awareness of our physical needs and attending well to them.

Psych: Growing in Self-Knowledge & Awareness

Sabbath not only allows us to pay closer attention to our physical state through embodiment, but it also provides the opportunity to tune into our internal world and attend to any thoughts or emotions we may have otherwise had to set aside throughout the week. This benefit makes sense given our context: the fast pace of our working worlds and the nature of our performative society together do not often give each of us enough space to reflect on our experiences with intentionality and purpose.

According to Speedling, those who engaged in the practice of Sabbath reported that this time of pause and rest allowed them to reflect on their lives, extend compassion to themselves, and ultimately gain greater self-awareness and knowledge, which is associated with greater psychological benefit. When we engage in rest, we become individuals who are aware of our emotions and thoughts and thus can seek out what we need to attend to those parts of us.

When I take the time to listen to my internal world, I grow aware that there are parts of me needing validation and empathy, and can then seek ways to extend those things to myself, whether it is through compassionate curiosity or through life-giving connection with others in my community who can bear witness to those experiences.

Socio: Sabbath as Enriching Relationships

Speedling, in her exploration of the research concerning Sabbath, found that this practice extends beyond individual benefits to include communal ones as well. She notes that Sabbath provides opportunity to enrich a person’s relationships by simply opening more time for the deepening of those relationships.

She points out that connecting with others in an unhurried manner during a period of rest—when you are free from the other demands of your time—allows for greater intimacy between partners, and deeper connection with family, friends and neighbours. In short, intentionally creating space to pause from one’s work and delight in the people who comprise your village may allow you to experience richer relationships.

In a world that is increasingly fragmented and isolated, a practice which holds the line and allows us to cultivate meaningful relationships, maybe even across differences, is certainly needed.

Spiritual: Slowing Down to Reflect

Finally, in the same way that the practice of intentional rests allows for the reprioritizing of human relationships, Sabbath also helps those who hold to a faith or spirituality to experience unrushed time to reflect and experience communion with what they may consider sacred. This may involve attending to their relationship with the divine.

Some people and communities have collective spiritual practices on a weekly Sabbath rhythm. These may involve gathering for prayer or worship services. For others, Sabbath may be a very individual experience of retreat and rest. 

In essence, through this pause from work, one is given the opportunity to delight once again in what they consider transcendent and worshipful, allowing for relief and rest on a spiritual plane.

The How: Considering Where to Start

Now that we have considered together why we should rest, let us take a look at how we may Sabbath. At the outset of this concluding discussion, I found Comer’s remarks on trying Sabbath helpful to keep in mind: “This practice is so foreign and alien to our culture, even our church culture, that it might take you a while to dial it in. That’s okay. Remember, you’re not in a hurry.”

In other words, if you find it hard to start, then take heart, you are not alone in that. And, keep in mind that your difficulty may not even stem from your own efforts, but from larger contexts or factors beyond your control. Practicing Sabbath and taking a whole day off to rest is swimming against the tide—it would make sense why it may seem very challenging at first. Considering this, here are a few suggestions I would like to offer.

1 Start where you are, not where you want to be

As with any habit or strategy for wellness, specificity is key. It may not seem like it at first, but I would suggest to you that you already know what will work best for you. And it may not look like what works for me.

To put it differently, this practice is only as effective as it is specific to your given situation—you must start where you are. Maybe taking a whole 24-hours off from work is not possible quite yet, but what does seem possible? What limitations do you face to taking the day off, and what are some ways you may address those limitations to Sabbath?

The storied example I gave above describes my Sabbath practice while I was completing my Master’s program, but now that I am entering full-time work, I am once again considering how I may adjust this practice to better fit the needs of this new season. And that’s okay. This practice of rest would not be very restful if it becomes a heavy expectation I place on myself, with no room for adjustment or flexibility. And the same is true for you.

2 Rest and Replenishment

As the origin of the word suggests, Sabbath involves both stopping and delighting. While this practice may begin for you by simply pausing from work, I would invite you to take this a step further when you are ready to also consider what alternative, delightful activities you may do instead of working. And, more importantly, these choice activities must be those that give you a renewed sense of life—things, places or people which replenish your mind, body and soul, as opposed to draining it.

It would not be very restful (at least for me, it could be for you) if I stopped working for a day to catch up on paying my bills, cleaning my house or getting on to my other, non-work-related to do list. The point of stopping is not to engage in non-work work. Instead, I would invite you to consider what activities bring you joy and help you feel more alive.

What is something you wish you had more time to do which seems frivolous, yet you know it brings a smile to your face whenever you do it? What helps you get in touch with an experience of delight, because remember, we pause from work to give time for delight.

3 Go Tech-Free

This one is a simple suggestion, but it may be the most challenging: I would invite you to consider making your rest days tech-free. Part of the barrage of information and resulting mental and emotional overload often comes to us through these otherwise incredible pieces of technology known as smartphones and social media. But really, do we need to be thisconnected all the time?

Rather than texting your friend an update of your week, imagine instead going to see them and giving that update face-to-face. When we can connect person-to-person rather than device-to-device, our relationships become richer and more connected.

If connectivity and reachability is a concern, perhaps letting those you love know that you will be unavailable for this set time could be helpful in easing some of that concern.

4 Involve Others

Lastly, inviting others into your practice of Sabbath can also deepen this experience, whether it is to let them know you will be unavailable, as suggested above, or making this a weekly reminder to connect with members of your village on a more intentional level, so as to meet your and their need for authentic connection.

Even more, starting such a countercultural practice is very challenging, and so trying it alongside others may help you work through the inevitable growing pains of trying something new, which in turn can help you feel less isolated and more connected.

To conclude, I will appeal once again to author John Mark Comer, as he describes for us what the Sabbath experience is like for him:

“something happens about halfway through the day, something hard to put language to. It’s like my soul catches up to my body. Like some deep part of me that got beat up and drowned out by meetings and email and Twitter and relational conflict and the difficulty of life comes back to the surface of my heart. I feel free. Free from the need to do more, get more, be more…and I find that my ordinary life is enough.”

May you find this eventual freedom, dear reader, as you explore what a Sabbath practice can look like for you.

Krizzia Ricafort is a Clinical Therapist with Shalem Mental Health Network

Resources

Comer, J. M. (2019). The ruthless elimination of hurry. First Edition. WaterBrook.

McBride, H.L. (2024). Practices for embodied living: Experiencing the wisdom of your body. Baker Books.

Speedling, B.B. (2019). Celebrating sabbath as a holistic health practice: The transformative power of a sanctuary in time. Journal of Religion and Health 58, 1382-1400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00799-6