I’m going to be honest.. I’m not great at embracing rest. I’ve gotten A LOT better, but I have had to literally change my entire life and mindset around in order to do this. 

I grew up with two really hardworking parents. I was taught that you had to work incredibly hard to live a good life. This isn’t a bad thing and I’m grateful to have learned this. I’m guessing my parents never thought I would take it so far as to work full time, have my own business, and basically have no personal life. Probably wasn’t what they were going for haha!

Luckily I’m no longer working 80 hours a week and work 100% for myself helping women and living the dream everyday (I seriously have THE best job). The thing is, I thought when I stopped working two jobs that I would easily be able to embrace rest, but this didn’t happen. 

Even when I started working for myself I had a difficult time with taking time off, not working weekends, and having boundaries. This forced me to look at WHY I don’t want to rest. 

Naturally I broke out my journal, got quiet and did some deep breathing for a few minutes, then reflected on why I was scared to rest. It wasn’t easy, but it was much needed. Most of my fears around rest were rooted in not working hard not, not making enough money, not being successful enough, not being a good enough wife, blah blah BLAH. 

The funny thing is when I went through how resting could benefit my life it was all the opposite–better dietitian and more successful clients, more money, more creativity, more energy for my friends and family, a better relationship with my husband. 

The biggest lesson I’ve learned with embracing more rest is that sometimes resting is the most productive thing you can do. 

An Exercise For You:

1. Look at your calendar and pick a day where you can carve out 30 minutes. Add it to your calendar. 
2. When the day comes, make sure you have a quiet space and a journal and pen on hand. 
3. Put some music on if you want, light a candle or inscent, anything that helps you set the mood and create a comforting space. 
4. Take a seat or lay down (whatever is most comfortable), close your eyes, and take some deep breaths. Breathe in for a count of 5 and out for a count of 5. Don’t overthink this. Just enjoy how relaxed your body gets, loosen your neck and shoulders, and be here now. 
5. Next, grab your journal and answer these 3 questions.
   1. What do you think will happen if you take some time to rest?
   2. What is the worst thing htat could happen if you rest?
   3. What is the best thing that can happen if you rest?
   4. What is one way you can begin to incorporate more rest into your life?
6. Once you’re done writing, smile and be grateful that you took the time to do this for yourself. Make note of how you feel. 
7. Share your experience doing this exercise with a friend that you think could benefit!

I hope this idea of embracing rest is helpful. It really has been profound in my life and is something I continue to evaluate and see how I can incorporate more.

Check out this great podcast episode I did with Alyssa Chang around brain-based healing, she focuses on the nervous system to help calm the mind and body down to help you find true healing.

And don’t forget to sign up for my Feminine Periodical Newsletter to get even more tips and resources on healing your body!

reminder: i’m currently taking on 1:1 clients. if you’d like to explore what it would be like to work together and if we are a good fit, fill out this form to get more details!​