Reclaiming Rest: Why Doing Less Might Be the Most Radical Thing You Do
Let’s be real: For many successful women, rest feels harder than work.
Not because you're lazy or disorganized. But because somewhere along the way, you learned that rest was a luxury. A weakness. Something you had to earn after everything and everyone else was taken care of.
So you keep going. You push through. You collapse into bed only to do it all again tomorrow.
Sound familiar?
Why Rest Feels Uncomfortable—Even Dangerous
If rest feels impossible, you're not alone.
High-functioning women often have nervous systems wired for doing.
You learned that:
Being still = being judged
Doing nothing = being lazy
Taking a break = falling behind
Your body learned to equate motion with safety. So rest doesn’t feel nourishing. It feels like a threat.
But here’s the truth:
You cannot heal, dream, or connect in hustle mode.
Rest Is Not a Reward. It’s a Reclamation.
True rest isn't just sleep. It's a nervous system exhale. It's time without expectation. It's being with yourself without needing to fix or perform.
Rest restores your creativity. Your intuition. Your emotional clarity. And in a world that tells women to earn their rest?
Reclaiming it is a radical act.
4 Rest Practices to Rewire Your Relationship With Doing Less
1. Schedule "Unguarded Time"
Block off 15 minutes where you don’t have to be productive, social, or helpful. Just exist. Stretch. Daydream. Breathe.
2. Swap Your To-Do List for a To-Feel List
Instead of asking "What needs to get done?" ask, "What do I want to feel today?" Then choose one action that supports that feeling.
3. Create a Sensory Cue for Safety
Light a candle, wrap up in a blanket, play music that makes your body relax. Let your senses anchor you in the experience of safe stillness.
4. Challenge the Belief: “Rest = Falling Behind”
Journal or reflect: What if rest made me more effective, not less? Who benefits when I believe I have to keep going to be valuable?
Final Thought
Rest doesn’t make you weak. It makes you wise.
It helps you lead from presence instead of pressure. And it reconnects you to the part of you that exists beyond the roles you play.
Let rest be your revolution.