Rest Isn’t Lazy: Reframing Rest as Power
When was the last time you laid down in the middle of the day with no guilt? When did you last close the laptop before finishing the checklist — because your body asked you to?
For so many of us, especially women navigating careers, families, community obligations, and personal dreams, rest has become an earned luxury rather than an everyday right. And I want to say this as clearly as possible: that belief is costing us too much.
Rest is an act of power
I grew up watching women do everything. Work a full-time job, hold down a household, care for the sick, pray over the hurting, volunteer for the community, and still find a way to show up for everybody but themselves. I inherited some of that same grit, and for a long time I wore exhaustion like it meant I was valuable. Important. Needed.
But the truth I’m holding now is this: exhaustion does not prove our worth. It only drains the brilliance we’re here to share.
Rest is how we protect our brilliance. It’s how we gather our thoughts before a big decision, how we come back softer after the world tries to harden us. Rest is where strategy is born and resilience is nourished. Rest is resistance to a world that expects our constant output.
What reclaiming rest looks like for me
Lately, I’ve been looking for micro-rest moments:
Logging off early on Fridays — emails can wait.
Scheduling at least an hour of guided exercise that I enjoy weekly, such as pilates or yoga.
Leaving my phone in another room during Sunday afternoon quiet time.
Learning to sleep again: no late-night scrolling, no burning the midnight oil because “it’s quiet and I can finally get things done.” Rest is non-negotiable.
I remind myself that a well-rested woman makes better decisions, loves harder, laughs louder, and pivots smarter. That’s the version of me I want to show up as — not the one running on fumes.
How to reclaim rest for yourself
If you’ve been carrying pride in being the “strong one” — the one who never stops — I invite you to challenge that story with me this month.
Here’s what I’ve found helps:
Call it what it is: Not laziness, not procrastination — restoration.
Put it on the calendar: Block it like you would a meeting with your most important client.
Protect it fiercely: Let your people know that when you rest, you are not available — not for one more thing.
A final reminder
Your rest is not a reward for finishing the to-do list. It’s your birthright. It’s your strategic advantage. It’s the soft place where your next idea, next pivot, next joy finds you.
So, if you needed permission — here it is: take the nap, shut the laptop, put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb.’ The world can wait. Your peace cannot.
Until next time,
Rhonda
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