Exploring How We Rest

What do you do for rest?

Put more directly: what is ACTUALLY restful for you?

The concept of Rest has been having a moment on social media and IRL – with everyone from wellness experts to business coaches to my therapist (!) going on and on about it.

And don’t get me wrong, on paper it sounds like a good idea.

But doing it? Eh… I haven’t always been convinced.

There are lots of reasons for this (productivity culture, capitalism, my to-do list…) but that’s not what I want to focus on today.

What I’m actually interested in, is what you do that truly restores you.

I’ve been investigating my relationship to rest for a while now. 

I’ve been reading books about rest and interrogating why it feels so difficult for me to rest.

I’ve been learning about my Human Design and sensing the truth behind my need for rest as a Projector. 

I’ve been taking an honest look at the practices, routines and habits that fill up my creative, spiritual, emotional and physical well – and the ones that don’t.

I’ve been experimenting. A lot. And through those experiments, I’ve learned:

🫶Quiet alone time, for me, is dramatically more restful than taking a nap.

🫶Water activities (swimming, floating, cold plunges) feel more restorative to me than walking, dancing or even yoga

🫶Sweating in the sauna is a welcome feeling (the strangest realization, especially for someone who is normally only comfortable between 68 and 72 degrees!).

Do you know what feels restful to you? And, importantly, do you do it?

This isn’t just about me telling you to put your oxygen mask on first (eye roll).

This is about you being able to physically, emotionally, and mentally stay healthy.

This is about you having the energy and presence to parent, to work, and to make aligned life choices.

This is about you feeling filled up and able to give to others. To speak up for what’s right. To vote!

If you’re not resting, everything else falls down.

“Downtime” is not a bug in your system. It’s a required feature.

How are you going to rest – today? Hit reply and let me know.

Onward,

PS: Another way I’ve learned I love to rest? Journaling!

Pick up your copy of “Volume 1: Discover” – the first in my new journal collection coming out this Fall – and use the prompts inside to explore, reflect and yes, even rest.