The modern world is placing increasing demands on students and workers alike. More and more instances of depression, anxiety, divorce and suicide are presenting in these populations — trends which countless groups and organizations are attempting to curtail.

These groups host events and give workshops to help students with dealing with the ebb and flow of college life. Study skills, mental health strategies and time management advice are everywhere to be found on college campuses while workplaces and managers are always on the lookout for management strategies and worker health programs to maximize efficiency and morale while minimizing work-related illness and injury.

I find that many of the suggestions are vague and unhelpful; while they mean to help, they leave people who are looking for assistance feeling more helpless than when they began. There is a great need for more concrete strategies that students and workers can easily adopt so that they can face their responsibilities without subjecting themselves to undue stress and risking negative health consequences from their daily lives.

If we look back in time, there is a part of the Jewish and Christian tradition that has faded in its practice and its relevance in the modern world — the Holy Sabbath.

“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work…” Exodus 20:8-10

This mandatory downtime gave people time to reflect on their relationship with God and their families and study the Torah, and it served an important psychological function by providing both mental and physical downtime. 

For a society that was largely built on Judeo-Christian heritage, this tradition is not well-recognized beyond its designation as a day of prayer. People still cook, do schoolwork and remain plugged into the loop with their jobs.

While this is a religiously focused tradition, it doesn’t have to be. Across almost every region in the United States, the increasingly secularized and business-oriented tempo of daily life leaves less and less room for family, friends, religious practice and personal well-being, as there is no time truly off the clock. When a standard-issue 9-to-5 job entails 24/7 attention, the results can be problematically draining.

This issue has gained more mainstream attention in recent years, especially for students, in the medium of summer jobs and internships. The corporate world has come under fire as exploitative of students who are notoriously willing to work for next to nothing just for the chance to land a stable full-time job. The demands that these positions impose are just as bad or worse in a normal academic setting. Many students work one or multiple jobs on top of their course loads while they try to develop personal relationships, be involved on campus and still have time to sleep. Finding a balance, or at least a manageable imbalance, is an integral part of making it through a normal day. But this cannot be every day.

If you work seven days a week, before long you may have worked hundreds of days in a row; but if you only work six days a week, you will never have to work more than six days at a time.

This is why I present the concrete strategy of the Sabbath for every student and worker, not as a religious tenet, but as means of staying healthy. Pick a day to be the day that nobody can touch but you and use it every week for focusing on yourself, your religious life, your significant other or the simple pleasures of watching Netflix or playing video games.

For Jews, the Sabbath starts on Friday at sundown and runs to Saturday evening, but it may be that Tuesday or Friday can be yours. Whatever day or days you have to choose from, pick one, and make that your Holy Sabbath. Be protective of it. Move plans around, do assignments early, and save time on other days to fulfill your obligations so that your Holy Thursday can be uninterrupted by the stresses of the rest of your life.

It took a lot of effort for me to enforce this for myself, it took creative scheduling and enduring the difficulty of saying no to people, but it was worth it. 

Regardless of your religious affiliation, what sect you are a part of, your level of involvement, the extent of your beliefs or the lack thereof, or whether you’re in school or on the job, it will be worth your time to remember your Sabbath and keep it holy.