The tired sleep won’t fix
The biggest misconception people have about Rest is that it's only about sleep.
When I tell people I’m a Rest Coach, they tend to look at me funny. “You mean, you help people sleep better?” I usually answer, “it’s a part of it”.
But it’s really about supporting women to allow themselves more easeful, relaxed and present lives.
Rest is beyond the number of hours we sleep, because we carry layers of fatigue that sleep doesn’t always address.
the physical and emotional exhaustion of carrying it all for too long
the tiredness from expecting so much of ourselves
the mental noise that doesn’t let us truly relax
the spiritual tiredness (the “Is there more to life than this?” feeling)
For me, rest is our capacity to move out of rushing, survival energy, and constant doing.
Rest is permission to slow down and be enough.
It’s learning to trust that we can slow down a bit more, relax and soften into the present moment.
Rest is the fairy godmother on our shoulder who whispers:
How could you make this life of yours more restful (and less hurried)?
How might you make this day, sticky conversation, or busy week feel more easeful (rather than effortful and heavy)?
How might you create space for yourself to breathe, and tend to your needs and delight even just a bit?
It’s really about offering a softer alternative to that part of us that learned she’s only worthy when she’s doing all the things.
My big burnout in 2018 taught me that it wasn’t so much the long work hours, or the workload itself that led to my collapse. It was an attitude, survival strategies adopted long ago anchored in the belief that I needed to hustle and overgive to maybe have a chance at being worthy. This showed up as people-pleasing, perfectionism, and disconnection from myself.
Effortful and hard were the unconscious drivers of my bus. No real room for rest or ease.
I’ve learned that rest equals letting ease in.
Beyond the sleep I get, I now have the habit of noticing when I go back to that default pushing mode. And gently remember that Ease is always waiting to join me on the bus. She’d actually love it if I asked her to take the wheel more often. THAT is the practice I return to…
Your micro-rest pause:
Ask yourself:
How could I allow some ease into today?
I invite you to pause and notice how your body responds to this Q.
Yours in remembering we can let Ease on our bus too.
Charmaine
ps. If this feels resonant, I have several ways I support women with this midlife invitation towards more ease and aliveness. Reach out and we can see which options might best work for you at this time. You can book your free discovery call here.