A few years ago, I found myself physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. On the surface, things looked good in my life, but underneath the mask of “I’m fine” was debris. I had learned how to work well, but I had forgotten how to rest well. Thankfully, I was confronted with the pain my busy life was inflicting. That pain came in many forms, each showing me how little I understood rest. I’ve spent the past years diving deep into understanding rest and my time has resulted in a recent book contract with FaithWords/Hachette.
In Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, I reveal why rest can no longer remain optional for those of us desiring our best life. I wrote this book for those who go to bed tired and wake up still exhausted. In it, I help you identify what kind of rest you have been missing. I shares seven unique types of rest I have found lacking in the lives of those I encounters in my clinical practice and research – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative – and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. These types of rest have never before been shared in this context, combining the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of your respect.
By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace no, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.
Since then I have created a personalized rest assessment that has helped thousands of people identify their rest deficits and overcome burnout. You can check out the quiz at RestQuiz.com.
If you have forgotten how to rest, join me in the pages of this book and reclaim the gifts of rest.
Miranda Wood
October 2, 2017 at 5:52 pm
I’m looking forward to reading this. I’m going to ask my local library to get it. Thanks very much.
Saundra Dalton-Smith
October 5, 2017 at 4:20 pm
That would be great Miranda! Your local library should be able to get it for you. Once you’ve read Sacred Rest, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Robin Peters
May 12, 2019 at 10:27 pm
Heard you speak at Transformation Church via podcast. I listened 3 times and have been doing the You version devo. I am presenting this to my women’s bible study this week as our next study. I printed off the study guide is there any direction you would give in doing this as a group? I was thinking of before we starting having them each take the sacred rest quiz and then we can get into the book.
Saundra Dalton-Smith
May 13, 2019 at 4:55 pm
Hi Robin! So glad you were blessed by my talk at Transformation Church. Yes, I think it’s a great idea to have them start off by taking the quiz. It will give them some direction on which type of rest they really need to focus on as they read. I’d love to hear how things are going as your group reads through the book. Don’t hesitate to shoot me a message via my contact page. Blessings to you!