Prioritize Rest

In a Western World

In the western world rest feels lazy. Rest feels unproductive.

But we’re all waking up to the fact that its not, right? Rest is needed just as much as productivity is needed. Routine and rest. Structures with places to land.

I write about my losses a lot. My dad especially. Maybe because its consumed so much of my life. Crumbled my 32 years of foundation.

I guess that foundation I had built was a little shaky, anyways. But I was building it. I was creating structure and solidifying the ground I was on.

I guess that’s why I held on so tight when things around me began to shed. Fall off. You know? More loss.

A few months ago, I decided to stop forcing everything. I surrendered.

I started listening to my body years ago. Allowing myself to rest when I needed it. Taking time for myself. I was getting good at that.

But after the last two years it felt like any rest I was getting wasn’t enough. Like my exhaustion was so big that the pockets of rest I was getting wasn’t doing anything.

It’s felt hard allowing myself to rest more. It felt like I was spinning my wheels there for a bit. Putting so much effort in and seeing nothing in return.

But I was noticing the more I rested, the more I stopped resisting, it was easier to allow things to flow.

I started to lean into somatic breath work. That has been helpful. I am napping almost every day. I was resisting that. But I need those naps. After the two years I’ve had, I need a lot of naps. A lot of breath work. See, I’m not just resting, I am healing my nervous system.

Last year I started saying out loud that I wanted a soft life. A slow life. And the universe has been providing. Literally forcing me to sit on my ass and heal. “I am holding you” I hear my dad say. “You are supported” is another message that comes through. So, I have been trusting. Moving forward. Doing it slow. But still doing it.

I’m learning that I have time. With all the loss I’ve experienced, I realize you don’t have a lot of time. But at the same time, I do have time. Heaps of it.

I think all of us in the western world forget to rest. We resist it. We deny it. But our bodies literally need it to survive. To thrive.

You are blocking the blessings by not resting. You are missing the beautiful and wonderful small miracles of life because you are rushing to the next thing.

I had to learn that. Not every day needs to be successful or exciting. Some days can be boring. Some days can just be.

That’s the ebbs and flow of life.

How things are meant to be.

I admire slow paced places in the world like Portugal or Trinidad.

I am starting to let myself live that way. It feels good.

Breathing and flowing.

Not rushing and suffocating.

I am just learning this way of life, and I am excited to see where it leads.

I hope you know you can rest, too.

You are allowed to sleep in, have fun and be messy.

You’re allowed to nap for hours during the day.

You’re allowed to move at your own pace.

My daughter is autistic and she does everything on her own time.

She’s teaching me, too.

There is something to slowness.

Something beautiful to it.