Finding Space for Restoration
“I already know how to rest.”
When I bring up rest with people, I often hear similar responses—many people find it challenging to view rest as essential rather than optional.
Although rest is a foundational component of both mental and physical well-being, we often dismiss its value in subtle, often unconscious ways.
“Rest is lazy and unproductive”
“If I rest, I’ll fall behind”
“I don’t deserve to rest until I’ve earned it.”
Sound familiar? These messages may appear directly in your daily thoughts or linger quietly in the background. Either way, acknowledging them is a crucial first step toward reshaping your relationship with one of your body and mind’s most essential needs — rest.
Rest is Not a Reward
Rest is not something to earn — it is a biological and psychological necessity. Like hydration and nutrition, cultivating space for rest supports sustainable productivity and long term well being. Rest is what makes work possible.
When we rest we support:
🧬 Nervous System Regulation
Rest activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) that reduces harmful stress hormones like cortisol and creates a sensation of relaxation
🧠 Cognitive Function
Rest enhances memory, decision-making, attention, and emotional regulation — allowing you to engage more fully within your life
💪🏽 Cognitive Resilience
Rest enhances our psychological resilience by allowing time to process emotions, ascertain meaning, and recalibrate — it is a mental reset that helps us bounce back from experienced setbacks
Off The Page: Actioning The Insights
Intentionally attending to rest
Simple — Not Easy
Rest is essential for mental clarity, emotional balance, and long-term resilience—but in contemporary culture, it can be devalued or viewed as indulgent.
Let’s explore restful strategies to expand the understanding of what rest can look like. Rest isn’t just something you do at the end of the day—it can take many forms and be integrated throughout your day in small, meaningful ways.
Body Scanning
This increases interoception — an awareness of internal signals within the body — equipping you to recognize early signs of fatigue.
⚡ Take a moment to pause and mentally scan your body. When you come across areas of tightness or restriction, gently bend, stretch, or lengthen in an intuitive way to promote a soothing release for both body and mind.
Schedule rest like a high priority task
The human brain responds well to structure. Creating rest as a requirement will encourage greater balance and engagement with your life’s work.
⚡ Add intentional rest periods to your calendar (e.g. 10 minute buffer before and after meetings, technology free lunch for a brain break — get creative with what works best for you)
Limit Cognitive Overload
Reduce overstimulation by momentarily disengaging with your digital devices — this supports the brain in returning to a baseline state to recover from chronic information fatigue.
⚡ Embrace moments of silence by: turning off notifications, setting screen time boundaries — get creative with limitations that work for you and encourage restful periods away from the temptation to “doomscroll” (we all are guilty at times, even me 🙃)
TL:DR — A Metaphor for Readers
Think of yourself as a garden.
Productivity is the planting, the tending, the growth—but rest is the rain, the sunlight, the stillness that makes all of it possible. Without space to restore, even the most carefully planted seeds can wither.
You don’t have to choose between rest and productivity—they coexist. One fuels the other. The key is learning your own rhythm: when to dig in, and when to let the soil breathe.
Thank You
Thank you for joining me this week! I’m excited to keep sharing insights from my work, research, and personal journey with you.
Did something resonate with you? Curious about applying these strategies in your life? Or know someone who might benefit?
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