When Rest Isn’t Lazy – It’s Powerful!
/We live in a world that celebrates hustle, productivity, and constantly doing more. And while there’s nothing wrong with ambition or goals, there’s something deeply nourishing – even radical – about choosing rest.
Not the kind of rest that’s sandwiched between tasks or squeezed into a day because we’re too exhausted to continue… but real, intentional, powerful rest. The kind that says, “I am worthy, even when I’m not doing.”
Rest is not weakness
For so many of us, especially women, rest has been tangled up with guilt.
We’ve been taught to earn it, to justify it, or to make it ‘productive’ – like ticking off a wellness to-do list. But real rest doesn’t need to be earned. It’s a basic need, a cycle we’re meant to honour.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to slow down.
Not just in terms of movement, but in my inner world. The pace of my breath, the weight of expectations, the endless “shoulds” that sneak into even the quietest moments.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
You don’t need to prove your worth through exhaustion.
You don’t need to do more to deserve a break.
You don’t need to wait until burnout to finally stop.
Rest can be:
Saying no without guilt
Taking a nap in the middle of the day
Lying on the floor and breathing
Logging off, turning inward
Doing nothing – and letting that be enough
Try this: a 2-minute breath + body softening practice
Wherever you are, take a moment to pause.
Let your shoulders drop.
Loosen your jaw.
Feel your breath move through your body – slow, steady, soft.
With every exhale, imagine your body sinking just a little more.
There’s nowhere to go. Nothing to fix.
This moment is enough.
Remember:
You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to not explain why.
And that rest, that pause, might just be the most powerful thing you do today.
