I got sick recently.
Nothing major — just one of those slow-down-or-your-body-will-make-you kind of sick.
And even though I knew I needed to rest, I still caught myself doing it...
Trying to power through.
Feeling guilty about what I wasn’t doing.
Wondering if I’d “earned” the right to lay down, cancel plans, and do nothing.
Feeling guilty about what I wasn’t doing.
Wondering if I’d “earned” the right to lay down, cancel plans, and do nothing.
Sound familiar?
It hit me like a second wave of symptoms:
Rest is not something we have to earn.
You don’t have to prove you’re worthy of slowing down.
Rest is not something we have to earn.
You don’t have to prove you’re worthy of slowing down.
🧠Why Rest Feels So Hard
For so many of us — especially women — rest feels like a luxury.
We’ve been taught that productivity equals value.
That if we’re not doing, helping, or moving, we’re falling behind.
We’ve been taught that productivity equals value.
That if we’re not doing, helping, or moving, we’re falling behind.
But the truth is: you are not a machine.
You are a living, breathing human being with a body that heals only when it slows down.
Rest is not laziness. It’s biology.
You are a living, breathing human being with a body that heals only when it slows down.
Rest is not laziness. It’s biology.
When we deny ourselves rest, here’s what we’re also denying:
- Proper immune function
- Blood sugar regulation
- Hormonal balance
- Nervous system recovery
- Emotional processing
- And basic dignity
You don’t need to wait until your body breaks down to give it what it’s been asking for.
đź’¬ Who Needs to Hear This?
If you’re in a season where your energy is low, your motivation is scattered, or your body is asking for a break — listen to it.
You don’t need to do one more thing to be “deserving” of rest.
You already are.
You already are.
Whether you're recovering from an illness, emotional stress, or just burnout from life, this is your permission slip:
✨ You can stop proving. You can just rest.
✨ You can stop proving. You can just rest.
đź’ˇ Try This for Your Own Reset
Take 5 minutes today and ask yourself:
What would rest look like for me right now?
What would rest look like for me right now?
Then actually do it — even if it’s 10 quiet minutes on the couch, a nap, or canceling something that’s too much.
Sometimes healing doesn’t look like green smoothies and supplements.
Sometimes it looks like lying down and not apologizing for it.
Sometimes it looks like lying down and not apologizing for it.
đź“© Want to learn how I support my body gently — especially in seasons of stress or recovery?
Just message me. I’m happy to share the tools that have helped me restore energy, lower inflammation, and heal.
Rachel xoxo
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We love a good before-and-after. But the truth? Most healing happens in the messy middle.
You know the highlight reels — “I used to feel terrible, now I feel amazing.”
But we don’t talk enough about the part in between. The part where you try something new and… nothing changes. Or where you get better for a bit, then backslide. Or when you have a breakdown in your car because you’re just so tired of not feeling like yourself.
That was me.
In the messy middle, I was completely burned out from my hospice job. My health was at its worst — brain fog, joint pain, chronic hives, and severe fatigue. On top of that, all three of my sons moved out within six months of each other. My day-to-day role as "mom" shifted dramatically. And I was in the thick of an identity crisis.
I knew I had to leave hospice or I was going to end up becoming a patient myself. But walking away wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a single decision — it was an entire unpeeling. Like an onion with layers of grief, burnout, guilt, and loss.
By choosing to take care of myself, I had to let go of how I used to care for others. I wasn’t going to be “nurse Rachel” in the same capacity. I wasn’t going to be “mom” in the way I had been. And that came with grief.
There were days I felt like a fraud — a nurse who couldn’t fix herself. Days I gave up. Days I tried again. And again.
What I wish someone had told me then was this: the middle isn’t failure. It’s not proof that what you’re doing isn’t working. It’s just part of the process.
Small shifts matter. Quiet wins matter. Showing up for yourself on the days no one sees you? That matters most.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep going.
If you’re in the middle right now, I see you. You’re not behind — you’re in progress.
Rachel xoxo
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