Rest is easier said than done. From time to time, I find myself resisting rest. I try to get myself to relax then somehow I end up cleaning or working on something.

I realized in the last year that I had this belief that I needed to earn rest. If I wasn’t productive, then I wasn’t worthy of rest. If I didn’t get my to do list done for the day, I would stay up late berating myself for not doing it.

Nowadays, it can be easy to get caught up in hustle culture or even doing for the sake of doing. Rest isn’t always looked at as a priority.

I had to let go of the notion that I needed to do all the things and upkeep my life in certain ways in order to finally rest. I learned to meet myself where I was at, and I started to understand that my best meant different things every day. I also applied that same thinking to rest. Some days I needed a long nap while other days I just needed 30 minutes of sitting on the couch doing nothing.

Even though I have started to see rest as a priority, I still find myself resisting rest sometimes. There are days when while resting I still stress and overthink about what I could be doing instead. I have learned that I have to actively choose rest over other priorities or distractions, and it’s not always an easy choice. However, I have realized that most of the time it’s the best choice.

Rest has rewarded me more than I thought possible. Being well-rested has helped increased my productivity, my energy levels, and my overall quality of life. 🙂

Choose rest — even if it’s for a short while.