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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Healing doesn’t always start with a diagnosis. Sometimes it starts with a whisper — a nudge that says, “Something has to change.”
This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.
The beginning of paying attention. Of noticing what your body has been trying to tell you for years. Of honoring your energy, your desires, your dreams.
It’s the beginning of listening — maybe for the first time in a long time — to you.
I’ve been there. In the messy middle. Burned out. Sick. Trying to keep all the pieces of my life together while my body and soul were unraveling.
I had to come to terms with who I really was — outside of all the titles and roles. Nurse. Mom. Caregiver. Professional. I realized I was more than the job that was draining me. More than the identity I clung to. I needed to re-invent myself.
At 50, I finally did something I’d always dreamed of: I wrote a book. First, I collaborated with 26 incredible women in The Truth About Success. Then I published my own: Confessions of a Hospice Nurse — The Journey of Life and Death and the Lessons in Between.
That creative expression was part of my healing. So was slowing down. (Although, let’s be honest — my body forced me to slow down.)
I had ignored the signs: the chronic hives, the fatigue, the brain fog. I pushed through until I couldn’t anymore.
Walking away from my job wasn’t easy. But it was necessary. I realized the company I gave everything to would replace me in a heartbeat. They didn’t even honor a $600 bonus I had earned. That told me everything.
My health had suffered. My family had been impacted. My soul was tired.
So I chose me.
And five years later, I can say this: I feel better than I have in decades. My health is thriving. My energy is back. And I’m doing work that aligns with my purpose.
If you’re at a breaking point — or a beginning — I want you to know: it’s okay to re-invent yourself. It’s okay to start again. It’s okay to listen to the whisper.
This isn’t your end. It’s your beginning. And choosing you might just be the most powerful decision you ever make.
Rachel xoxo
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Sometimes quitting isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom.
We don’t hear this enough, but here’s the truth: sometimes the bravest thing you can do is walk away.
From a job. From a role. From a version of yourself that no longer fits.
That’s exactly what I did.
Burned out and exhausted, I knew I couldn’t keep going the way I had been. Hospice nursing had taken its toll. My body was breaking down. My sons had all moved out. And I found myself standing in the rubble of every role I had once used to define me.
Caregiver. Nurse. Mom. Provider.
I didn’t just nearly walk away — I leapt. Not because I had it all figured out. But because I knew something had to change. I knew I couldn’t keep putting myself last.
For the first time in a long time, I focused on myself. On healing. On rest. On finding joy in small habits and nourishing routines. I let myself grieve what I left behind — and made space for who I was becoming.
And at 50 years old, I can honestly say: it was the best decision I ever made.
Reinvention isn’t easy. But neither is staying stuck in something that’s draining the life out of you.
If you’re facing a shift, a crossroads, a quiet question deep inside — maybe this is your nudge. You don’t have to prove anything. You just have to choose what matters now.
You’re allowed to walk away from what’s not working. You’re allowed to start again.
In peace,
Rachel
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