The hurried life kills. It kills our relationships, creativity, marriage, family health, and more importantly our communion with God. It’s out for blood. And more and more people are feeling more anxious, stressed, hurried, and it is killing us.

So it’s only appropriate to look at our “hurry sickness” as an act of aggression, a declaration of war for our souls. In his book Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives Wayne Muller sheds light on the violent nature of hurry.

A “successful” life has become a violent enterprise. We make war on our own bodies, pushing them beyond their limits; war on our children, because we cannot find enough time to be with them when they are hurt and afraid, and need our company; war on our spirit, because we are too preoccupied to listen to the quiet voices that seek to nourish and refresh us; war on our communities, because we are fearfully protecting what we have, and do not feel safe enough to be kind and generous; war on the earth, because we cannot take the time to place our feet on the ground and allow it to feed us, to taste its blessings and give thanks.

Wayne Muller – Sabbath

So how do you win the war for our soul? How do we kill hurry sickness before it kills us? How do we fight back? Muller offers simple practices that one can take to wage war, and its weapon of choice – the Sabbath.

Practices for a Simple Sabbath

1. Light a candle.
   Set aside sacred time for a family meal, for prayer or meditation, or simply quiet reading. Set a candle before you, offer a simple blessing, and let the world fall away.
   
2. Practice thanksgiving.
   Give thanks before meals, upon rising, when going to sleep. During Sabbath, we are less concerned with what is missing and more grateful for what has already been given.
   
3. Bless your children.
   Place your hand gently on their heads and offer your blessing. What do you most wish for them? Self-knowledge, courage, safety, joy? Let them hear your prayers for their happiness.
   
4. Invite a Sabbath pause.
   Choose one common act — touching a doorknob, turning on a faucet or hearing the phone ring. Throughout the day when this occurs, stop and take three silent, mindful breaths. Then go on.
   
5. Take a walk.
   Stroll slowly to nowhere in particular for 30 minutes. Let your senses guide you. Stop and observe deeply whatever attracts you — a tree, a stone, a flower. Breathe.
   
6. Pamper your body.
   Take a guilt-free nap. Take a leisurely bath with music, special scents, candles. Make love with your spouse. Walk barefoot in the grass. The Sabbath is a day of delight.
   
7. Create a Sabbath box.
   Put your to-do list, your keys, your wallet — anything you don’t need in Sabbath time — into the box. Or write down a particular worry or concern and drop it in. Just for now, let it go.
   
8. Turn off the telephone.
   Or the computer, the TV, the washer and dryer. Create a period of time when you will not be disturbed or seduced by what our technologies demand of us.
   
9. Prepare a Sabbath meal — or a Sabbath cup of tea.
   Even if you are alone, you can choose foods you love, put flowers on the table, take time to enjoy every dish, give thanks for the bounty of the earth.
   
10. Seek companionship.
    One of the most precious gifts we can offer is to be a place of refuge, a Sabbath for one another. Ask for companionship when you lose your way. Give quiet time and attention to others.
    
11. Reset your inner compass.
    Make a list of the values and principles that guide your life — both those you follow and those you would like to follow. Speak them aloud, alone or with loved ones.
    
12. Surrender a problem.
    The Sabbath reminds us that forces larger than ourselves are at work healing the world. Imagine that these forces already know how to solve your problem. Turn it over to their care.