You Don’t Have to Wait Until You’re Burned Out to Rest
Notes on intentional rest, burnout, mental health, and learning to slow down in real life. I’m sharing what I’ve learned as an Intentional Rest Guide, and what I’m still learning myself. Come read, reflect, and take what you need.
For a long time, I treated rest like something I could get to later. After work. After I answered the messages. After I took care of the people counting on me. But “later” kept moving.
I came to yoga while navigating stress and my mental health. What I found was more than a way to move my body. The practice gave me a chance to notice when I was holding my breath, carrying tension, or pushing through a day without checking in with myself. Sometimes slowing down felt good. Other times, it felt uncomfortable because I could finally hear how tired I was.
That’s part of why I call myself an Intentional Rest Guide. I teach gentle yoga, but the movement is one way into a bigger conversation: What is your relationship with rest? Do you let yourself have it? Do you feel guilty when you stop? Do you only pause when your body gives you no other choice?
I ask those questions because I’m still asking them of myself. I’ve made space for other people to rest while juggling work, a business, and my own life. Knowing that rest matters doesn’t mean I always choose it easily.
As a Black woman, I also know how much can be expected of us. We’re often praised for how much we can carry, even when carrying it all is wearing us down. I want Black and Brown people to have space to put some of that weight down. We deserve care in the middle of our lives, while we’re still figuring things out.
Intentional rest doesn’t have to begin with a whole day off or a perfect routine. It might begin with noticing that your shoulders have been raised all afternoon and letting them drop. It might mean eating lunch without working at the same time, taking a few breaths before walking into the next room, or deciding that one more thing can wait until tomorrow.
Those moments won’t solve everything that’s causing stress. They can, however, give you a chance to listen to yourself before you reach empty.
If you’re reading this and thinking, I don’t even know how to slow down, you can start there. You don’t need to be good at resting. Just ask yourself: What have I been needing lately that I keep putting off? Then see if there’s one small way to respond to that need today.
You don’t have to wait until burnout makes the decision for you. You’re allowed to pause now.
If you’d like a place to practice slowing down, you’re welcome to join me for a class.