The Power Of Rest: How Slowing Down Helps Me Show Up As My Best Self

Discovering Productivity & Purpose Through The Power Of Rest

I used to think rest was only bubble baths and shopping sprees. I thought self-care meant spa days and drinking mimosas by the pool. Don’t get me wrong, I love splurging on beauty products and doing all of those things, but that’s not practical for my everyday life in this season. Besides, you can have the best beauty products in the world, but if you aren’t rested, it’s going to show up on your face and in your skin.

I grew up believing in hustle culture, and I still value hard work. But I’ve also learned that there’s a time for rest. Hustle culture glorifies constant work, long hours, and nonstop productivity, even at the expense of your well being. We live in a society that constantly pushes us to “do more.” I’m learning now that it’s okay to just be. Even if that feels uncomfortable. Even if it means being bored. There’s a real purpose in slowing down.

I’m guilty of always feeling like I need to be moving. I used to tell myself I thrived in chaos and worked better under pressure, but the truth is that was a lie. Being busy doesn’t always mean being productive. I caught myself filling time with “busywork” instead of meaningful work that actually pushed me closer to my goals. The Superhuman blog put it best: “Being productive is less about always having something to do, and more about making sure that what you’re doing is propelling you toward a goal. Busy people stay busy for the sake of it. Productive people work with purpose and intent.”

One thing I look forward to every year is attending Woman Evolve Conference by Sarah Jakes Roberts. It’s more than a conference, it’s a chance for me to refill my cup and be surrounded by like minded women. This year was different because I didn’t take off work like I normally do, since it was in Atlanta, so I only caught the evening sessions. But I’ll never forget how Sarah closed the conference. She talked about rest, and how easy it is to attend an event, get inspired, and immediately feel like you need to “go home and do all the things” instead of resting and letting it pour into you. That hit me hard.

Since then, I’ve taken a different approach to my life and goals. I’ve started prioritizing rest. And by rest, I don’t just mean sleep. I mean full body, intentional rest. Some days it looks like sitting in my house listening to music and doing absolutely nothing. Other days it’s binge watching a show guilt free. It can even look like reading a book on my balcony. For me, rest is anytime I allow myself to pause. It hasn’t been easy; my brain always has so many tabs open and I struggle to turn it off. But I’ve realized that resting doesn’t make me weak. The truth is, the work I do from an exhausted place is nothing compared to the work I do when I’m rested and renewed.

Rest isn’t just for my body, it also gives my mind space to wander and dream. I can tell when I’m behind on rest because my mood shows it. When everything and everyone irritates me, I know I’m overdue for a reset. But when I’m rested, I handle life differently. Even something as simple as sitting in traffic feels lighter when I’m not running on empty.

To be clear, I don’t believe you can just rest your way into success. Life still requires hard work. But I’ve stopped glorifying “busy.” I want my work to be intentional and aligned with my goals. Rest is a priority for me, not because I’m lazy, but because I want to show up in the world as my best self. Hustle culture leads to burnout, but rest allows us to operate at our highest capacity.

Think about it: your phone at 10% doesn’t run the same as when it’s at 100%. Neither do we. That’s why I choose to prioritize rest, not only at the end of a long stretch of work, but in small ways every single day. Those small moments of rest are what keep me fueled, balanced, and fully present. As we enter this new month, and finish out the third quarter, I challenge you to make rest a priority instead of an option. If you want to maximize the rest of this year, you first start should be to ensure you're rested.

Don't wait for a vacation to rest, it can be apart of your day to day!