Reset
I did a recent podcast episode on the persistent, low-level anxiety that has been gnawing at me. I definitely think it’s pandemic-related and that I’m not alone. I’ve been feeling it for a couple months. I was managing it with spiritual disciplines, regular exercise and getting enough sleep. But it wasn’t going away. That’s why I was looking forward to a reset.
This week we took a few days away. We knew our third grandchild was coming soon, so we thought it would be good to get away before the big event. It worked. For the first time in months I did not feel the nagging, uncomfortable anxiety.
Our getaway was several hours away at a lake in the hills (around here we call them mountains, but I’ve seen real mountains, and these aren’t them). And while we went away for our reset, what I learned can be done at home with a bit of intentionality.
Get outside
I’ve said this before: the benefits of being out in God’s creation are real. Here’s a blog post I wrote on this a while back.
We only had two full days away. We spent both outside nearly all day. The first day we did a five-mile hike in a state park, which also included a nice stop for a picnic.
The next day we rented a small boat and spent all day tooling around the lake, including a stop at an outdoor café.
The combination of greenery, water and fresh air was life-giving. Plus there’s something about eating outside. Whether it’s sitting on a rock with a picnic of bread and cheese or table side service on a mountain lake, it felt like we were closer to God as we received life-giving sustenance. Now that it’s starting to get cooler, I intend to eat outside more often at home.
Disconnect
Beside the uncertainty of the pandemic, the thing I believe most contributes to our persistent anxiety is the constant barrage of electronic communication.
And while I didn’t disconnect completely, I did enough to feel relaxed. When I’m on vacation I check my email first thing in the morning and clear out my inbox. After that I don’t check it until the next morning. This may not seem like disconnecting, but it works for me. I am more relaxed knowing that I won’t have several hundred emails in my inbox when I get home.
Other than that, the only thing I did on a device is look for places to eat and read my favorite paper.
Since I typically spend most of a day on a screen (PC, tablet, phone), this was definitely my version of unplugged.
Ignore your most important work.
When I’m not on vacation, I try to focus on my most important work. I work on the things that are important but not urgent. Even when I’m on vacation I sometimes will still do those things because it gives me joy to move my most important priorities forward.
However this time I intuitively sensed the need for a real break. So while I could’ve been exploring funding opportunities for the ministry I serve, working on this blog post or working on a podcast episode, I knew that I shouldn’t.
What I discovered was the combination of getting outside, disconnecting and doing nothing (at least that’s what it felt like) vaporized the persistent low-level anxiety that has been nagging at me for a couple months.
Are you ready for a reset? There’s no excuse not to hit the button. You can do it, even if you never leave your community. You’ll be glad you did. I sure am.
Jack Shitama 2019
Jack Shitama
The Rev. Jack Shitama serves as executive director of Pecometh Camp & Retreat Ministries in Maryland. This post is republished with permission from his blog The Non-Anxious Leader.