I was exhausted. I was so tired of “working toward my goals,” tired of “being productive,” tired of being cheerful and engaged all the time, tired of striving, tired of acting like I’m strong and can handle anything, tired of solving problems, tired of the persona I’d created.
It all came to a head in my early 40s. My path was unsustainable. I was totally beat. And it was sooooo hard to let go of that exhausting path.
Because what if that striving is all I’ve ever known? What if that persona is my identity? If I stop striving, what good am I? If I’m not my persona, who am I? I HAVE TO KEEP GOING! DON’T I? DON’T I???
No. You are allowed to rest. I officially give you permission to rest.
My guess is that you will react to that permission to rest the same way I did when my therapist first gave me permission to rest. I scoffed. I blew it off. Pshaw! I can’t rest!
For sure, taking that first step toward allowing ourselves rest can feel suuuuper uncomfortable. What will people think? What if I’m less productive? If I don’t keep up the fight, then I’m a loser! Yep, there sure are lots of conditioned beliefs about how we’re “supposed to be.” It took me eight years of depression and anger to let go of those conditioned beliefs and allow myself to rest. Worth the pain, let me tell you. Because on the other side of that painful letting go: deep, deep peace. So I want to support us in dumping who we’re “supposed to be.” I want to normalize being how we ARE. I want to normalize taking the rest we need.
Resting allows us time to think and to feel, time to discern our needs.
Resting allows us to notice – notice ourselves, notice the world around us, notice our feelings and values.
Resting allows us to re-energize, so we can be in action again in a healthy way.
So let’s normalize rest. Let’s allow ourselves to take a break from the party and go lie down for 20 minutes. Let’s pull back from all our crazed productivity and consider 4-day work weeks, Universal Basic Income, naps, giving ourselves and each other grace, helping our bodies and our nervous systems reset.
I invite you to rest with me.
(Also check out “Hey, Can We Slow Down a Bit?”)
