Joanna Gaines Shares Her Word of the Year for 2020: "Rest"

Our New Year's phrase of the year: "Be more like Joanna Gaines."

Joanna Gaines' word of the year: "Rest."

Even the Leading Lady of Waco needs time to slow down, and this year she's committed to making it one of restorative rest. In fact, she's been so devoted to achieving more productive rest in her life, she's settled on this same word for the past few years. In a new post on the Magnolia blog, Gaines expressed her desire to free herself from perpetual busyness and carve out time for much-needed rest. Accordingly, once again for this year's Gaines' family tradition, the matriarch chose the word "rest," and her reasoning strikes close to home for many of her fans.

"I say this as someone who truly enjoys having a lot on my plate. Too much downtime and I get antsy. Not enough projects and I get bored. The act of doing, doing, doing could easily keep me on a treadmill until the end of my days. But the key for me has been seeking out what it is that brings me true rest alongside raising our family and in the midst of doing work we're passionate about," Gaines candidly writes of her go-go-go lifestyle. "It took me a while to realize that rest doesn't have to look like a longer night's sleep or more frequent afternoon naps (a good thing since I'm the worst napper). Rest for me is saying no to the idea of being busy for the sake of being busy, and instead, allowing everyday, simple moments to fill me up."

Like many, Gaines struggles with the omnipresence of technology and social media at our fingertips, noting that scrolling through social media sites can sap her of her energy, even though they're considered an activity we do to fill our "downtime." Instead of being plucked into an Instagram vortex, Gaines lists a few activities that she finds are actually good for her soul and energy: cooking, gardening, and playing with her kids, to name a few.

Later in the post, Gaines expresses how tuning more into the rest she needs has helped her flourish. "[Creating more time for rest] has no doubt required me to make space for new rhythms and to instill a few genuine disciplines into my daily life. It has made me more conscious of what I say yes to and perhaps even more conscious of what I say no to," she writes. "But today, on the last day of the year, when I look back at the months that brought us here, instead of seeing only a year blurred by busy, I can also see more clearly moments that will forever carry personal significance–time with my family and time spent doing things that actually bring me life and goodness. Moments where I fought for rest over progress, over perfection, over fill in the blank, and I see the difference it has made."

If you'd like to consider what positive changes you can make in the new year and look back on the year now behind us, you can fill out Magnolia Journal's reflection exercise here. You may be surprised at what you learn about yourself.

Now, just imagine: What difference could this shift towards more rest make for you?