Why Rest Can Feel So Damn Hard—and How to Start Letting It In
Have you noticed how allowing yourself to rest can feel like pulling teeth? If that’s you, you’re far from alone.
A lot of us learned early that rest and self-care came with a price. Maybe you felt like:
You had to earn rest because your worth was tied to productivity.
Taking time off was lazy or selfish.
Rest was a “luxury,” not something essential.
Or maybe you just didn’t have the space for rest because you were busy keeping yourself or your family afloat, physically or emotionally.
All those messages taught our younger selves that we just had to keep pushing. And now there’s this anxious, overworked part of us that thinks if we stop—even for a second—things might fall apart.
So here we are:
Skipping self-care to “get just one more thing done.”
Feeling restless or guilty when we finally take a break.
Pushing through burnout until we’re on the floor.
Telling ourselves we should be able to handle it all.
This is where things get tricky. There’s a part of you—a younger part, an anxious part—that’s still running on overdrive, thinking, “If I don’t keep it all together, everything’s gonna crash.”
Ever seen Inside Out 2? Remember Anxiety frantically pushing all those buttons at the control board? That’s our inner kid right there, doing everything she can to keep control. And it’s exhausting.
Why Rest Matters More Than You Think
Here’s the truth: that constant drive isn’t doing you any favors. In fact, it’s holding you back. Like muscles after a workout, our bodies and minds need stillness to recharge and rebuild. It’s in rest that we actually regain the strength to keep going.
And rest doesn’t have to be a big production. It could be:
A quick nap or a few quiet minutes.
Play (yes, that’s for you too).
Doing something creative just because it feels good.
Letting yourself be pampered.
Anything else that doesn’t demand more from you than you’re ready to give.
What If You Gave Yourself Permission to Rest?
Picture that little control board operator finally taking a breath. Imagine letting go of the old story that rest is “lazy” or “selfish” and, instead, just leaning into it. When you do this, you’re giving yourself space to breathe, space to just be.
So take this as a real invitation: Give yourself permission to rest. To play. To experience joy and ease without having to earn it. You’re worthy of that.
If this resonates, and you’re looking for more reminders like this, I’d love to keep in touch. Sign up for my newsletter here for real, practical support on reconnecting with yourself and letting go of the burnout cycle.
