When Rest Is Revolutionary

I don’t know about you, but I’m reclaiming stillness. We live in a world that is built upon a hustle mentality and lifestyle. During certain periods of the year especially the first half of the year and in the midst of Q4, I stretch myself at times but then I pay the price for it. Yet, as I write this I find myself embracing rest more, which feels so good. Rest is not a weakness, it is needed and for some a non-negotiable. It’s also not just about recovery, it’s about resistance to the societal norms of 'hustle hard’ and doing the most. Sometimes, just rest. From the beginning of time, even God rested on the seventh day - not to recover, but for true intention.

In this article we’re going to discuss why rest can be revolutionary for your routine and your life in this season.

The Culture of Constant doing

When we normalise burnout we create a lifestyle that in the long-term will be unsustainable. I can imagine there are some business owners and high-performance leaders that experience burnout frequently, but I hope they have a supportive team or loved ones that are encouraging rest. Sometimes within work environments, when you’re a caregiver or just to keep up in life generally - there will be moments where exhaustion will creep up on you unexpectedly. When fatigue takes it toll, all areas of your life are impacted from how productive you are to how you show up for yourself. The two areas of your life it will hit off the jump is your physical and emotional health.

I’ve experienced burnout or severe tiredness a handful of times in my adult life from college through to full-time employment after graduation. Each time it happened, I felt the impact on my body first before I really recognised how it had impacted me emotionally. In fact, there were times that I didn’t even recognise myself. This cost me my social time, my joy and also it affected how I took care of myself, because I prioritised my work.

Redefining rest

As we look at the notion of rest, the first thought that comes to mind is sleep hygiene - getting enough rest. However, rest goes beyond this. It’s setting boundaries, embracing stillness and having more emotional check-ins. Rest for me now, goes beyond a day off. I remember booking the odd day of annual leave in my corporate job and not actually having anything meaningful planned for myself or how I showed up for me. Outside of a day off for ‘self-care’ or to just do nothing, it’s also being able to say no without guilt and having a moment to realign your life across all areas.

During moments of rest now, I take the time to reflect on how I can really improve where I find myself. It took me a long time to not feel guilty about prioritising me. My therapist would always tell me I’m too hard on myself because I am always saying that my output is not good enough. Let me just say, that alone is a sign of burnout. Added pressure without acknowledgement of any progress made. I can see myself leaving sessions, sighing because I would always say ‘but there’s so much to do’. Now I can say that I was in ‘always on’ mode pushing to do too much. I’m grateful for reflection because the reality that came after this would change how I lived my life moving forward.

What Intentional Rest Can Look Like

As I practiced more opportunities to rest, I was able to remain more present for myself. It changed my mood and mental processes. Rest became more rhythmic for me, and gave me the space to pour into me. I found with more intention, it unlocked more creativity in me, clarity for how I could make progress in my personal life and even how I can be more compassionate. Even with Our Season, it’s taken me over three years to even feel like I had the capacity to bring this to life the way it deserved to reach others. Why? Honestly, it’s a combination of repeated exhaustion, doubt and not believing in myself but here we are. I believe in God’s timing, He recognised what I needed to prioritise, with prayer and patience we made it here. To surrender control and also lean into rest has been such a welcome realisation.

Now I’ve experienced and continue to find moments to be intentional for rest I will sustain it as much as I can. I know the impact it has on my life, and I extend this encouragement to my loved ones, my community and peers. I can see what the power of rest and stillness can do for myself and for others. I can’t say it’s not challenging, but I know that we can overcome it with support, prayer and showing up for ourselves.

Pause & Reflect…

Where in your life have you been pushing through when you really needed to pause? What might it look like to choose rest, before you're forced to?

For anyone who reads this who identifies the need for more rest, I pray that you will find a moment to pause and breathe even if it’s for a minute. With strength, give yourself permission to reflect in order to discover what it is that you need in order to thrive outside of your daily performed tasks that stretch you. Rest is not earned, it’s essential for you to be the version of you that the world needs. Choosing yourself is the first step.

I’ve shared below an episode of In Totality with Megan Ashley (amazing podcast), where she delves into Season of Rest. I related to this so much and I’m sure you will to.

With love,

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