Rest Over Sacrifice
One of the hardest parts of rewiring your life isn’t changing your habits.
It’s learning to trust your body when it interrupts your plans.
Rest sounds peaceful in theory. In reality, it can feel uncomfortable, unproductive, and a little bit wrong — especially if you’re used to pushing through everything.
I literally had to fight myself yesterday to close the daycare and rest. It didn’t align with my work ethic at all. I had to remind myself of my health goals and face the truth that pushing through could actually set me back weeks.
I chose myself yesterday, and I won’t lie… it felt strange.
My mind immediately went to fear.
What if the daycare parents are mad?
What if they fire me?
What if they think I’m exaggerating?
Then I had to stop myself.
It doesn’t actually matter what anyone else thinks in this moment. I am responsible for my health. If my body is telling me to slow down, I have to listen.
Did I stay in bed all day? No. I moved around gently and kept things calm. My head was pounding, my body ached, and the fatigue reminded me all day that I wasn’t at my best.
I could have pushed through. I’ve done that most of my career. I could have managed a headache and eight loud kids.
But this time I didn’t.
This time I made my health the priority.
Even though I still felt physically bad most of the day, I felt something else too — relief. I finally allowed myself to invest in myself instead of sacrificing myself.
Growth doesn’t always look like doing more, improving more, or pushing harder.
Sometimes growth looks like canceling plans, disappointing people, and choosing your well-being anyway.
Listening to your body isn’t weakness.
It’s a skill most of us were never taught.
And sometimes the most responsible thing you can do… is rest.
3 Journaling Prompts
Where in my life am I still pushing through signals my body is giving me?
What fears come up for me when I choose myself over expectations?
What would caring for myself today actually look like — not ideally, but realistically?
