For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been a little quieter than usual.
Part of that was travel. I went to spend time with my three daughters, which filled my heart in all the best ways. It was a meaningful trip, but also one that required some emotional heavy lifting. By the time I came home (on very little sleep, thanks to jet lag and the excitement of it all), I was completely drained.
And yet, I did what so many of us do.
I told myself it was time to get back to life at full speed.
Work. Laundry. Groceries. Meal prep. Social plans. Writing. Catching up on everything I had “missed.”
So that familiar, old belief quietly crept in.
Downtime = Double time.
And I see this all the time. Not just in myself, but in my clients too.
Any pause, vacation, illness, or emotional experience is followed by the pressure to “make up for it.” (In my case, that is a Type A personality with a healthy dose of corporate PTSD?)
But here’s what I’m starting to question: What if there’s nothing to make up?
Because the truth is, last week I found myself in that strange, uncomfortable space of being completely exhausted, and yet unable to fully rest.
I was both wired and tired.
My body was asking for recovery, but my mind was still racing, trying to organize, produce, and push forward.
The more I pushed, the more exhausted and anxious I felt. So this week, I decided to lean into it.
I slowed down. I gave myself permission to ease back in.
I booked a massage.
I said yes to an afternoon of mahjong with friends.
I am spending time outside.
I even took a nap.
Not because I had earned it.
Not because everything else was done.
Just because it’s what I needed.
And the more I leaned into that, the more I realized how automatic that “catch-up” narrative really is, and how unnecessary it might be.
What if rest didn’t require permission?
What if recovery wasn’t something to rush through?
What if you didn’t have to repay your downtime by overextending yourself afterward?
For those of you balancing full-time work, caregiving, or busy family lives, I know this isn’t always simple.
But even then, there are small ways to honor what your body and mind are asking for.
Take a pause.
Go for a walk outside.
Schedule a coffee chat with a good friend.
Choose a moment to NOT push through and rest.
This week, instead of asking yourself how to “get back on track,” you might try asking something different.
What do I actually need right now?
If this resonates, this is exactly the kind of work I do with my clients.
Learning how to step out of old patterns and respond to what you actually need.
Feel free to reach out here if you’d like more support.
With love and compassion,
Jackie
