In a previous Pastor’s Corner, I shared some of my health secrets: shaking my hands and feet in a clapping motion 200 times just before going to bed and right after getting up, drinking a large glass of water as soon as I get up in the morning, and drinking a glass of water with 2 spoonfuls of vinegar twice a day. Let me share a few more.
First, when I feel tired, I immediately lie down on my back on a mat placed on the hard floor with an eye mask and rest for 15 to 20 minutes. It’s not a nap. As you know, our sleep has cycles. If we are awakened during a deep sleep stage, we feel more tired. We want to wake up before reaching that stage. 15 to 20 minutes helps achieve that. Many of us may have had the experience of dozing off momentarily in class and feeling refreshed afterwards when we were students. Resting the eyes produces a similar effect.
When you lie down, you don’t want to try to sleep. Try to push away thoughts that come to your mind. You will experience the same effect as dozing off during class. Some call this a “cat nap” but I think a more appropriate term is a “power nap” because it gives energy and power. Many presidents and wartime generals depended on this method to survive without much sleep.
Next, I exercise 4 times a week. I walk for 30 minutes on a treadmill church members installed in my office. In 30 minutes, I cover about 1.6 miles and work up a sweat. I used to skip my exercise often because walking on a treadmill is quite boring. But I started watching Korean dramas while walking, and now I rarely skip it because the stories are so intriguing; I can hardly wait for my next session.
Next, I pray. Very often, the cause of our tiredness is more psychological than physical. When you enjoy what you do, you don’t feel tired, even when you work through the night. But when your work is boring or unfulfilling, you get easily tired. Sometimes stress is the cause of fatigue.
Prayer relieves stress. Communing with God – talking to Him about my problems, complaining and whining a little, and waiting for His response – slowly lessens my stress. My heart begins to fill with hope that God, who is powerful and loving, will work out everything for my good. I obtain a peaceful frame of mind, waiting on God with curiosity and expectation until He accomplishes what He promises.
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