20. A little (midyear) note about rest

With the arrival of July (the middle of the year and the start of the new financial year) this week I found myself filling out the reflection pages in my MiGoals 2025 diary (yes, I’m still a pen-and-paper girl… though I also can’t live without my iCal).

The questions were about checking in on the goals I set back in January. How’s it all going? What have I achieved? What’s gotten in the way?

As I answered them, one very clear theme emerged…

I’m really bad at resting.

Not in a “I’m so productive I don’t have time to rest” kind of way. More in a “I’m always half-on, half-off” kind of way. Which means I’m never fully rested and not as productive as I could be when I am working.

Take Sundays, for example, my so-called day of rest. I wake up and immediately start scrolling. I’ve got my laptop open while I’m on the couch watching a show. I’m writing life plans and to-do lists when I say I’m journaling. I’m not making art. I’m not doing crafts. I’m not catching up with friends.

Why?
Partly because I feel guilty for resting.
And partly because… I think I’ve forgotten how.

If you’re reading this after 10am on Sunday morning, I’ll have just had breakfast with my parents (a tradition I absolutely cherish each week), and then… I’m logging off my phone for the day.
Logging off.
Would it be too wild to actually turn it off altogether?

The thought of it makes my body squirm a bit. It’s so interesting to notice the discomfort that comes with setting boundaries.

So instead of scrolling and online window shopping, I’m giving myself a little mini winter retreat at home.

I’ll start with a gentle meditation to soothe my nervous system and help me arrive in these few hours of rest. I’ll journal with some of the prompts from the guide I shared last month. I’ll drop even deeper with a cosy yoga nidra meditation. Then I’ll get a bit crafty, collage and some drawing, while eating a big bowl of my favourite soup.

I know I’m not alone in this. I’ve had this exact conversation twice this week with friends.

For some, it’s guilt and not knowing how to rest.
For others, it’s a nervous system that feels too wired, too unsafe to slow down.
Maybe for you, it’s something else altogether?

Whatever it is (and yes, I know life has its non-negotiables: sick kids, caring for others, the curveballs), the thing is: we’re the only ones who can make space for rest.

We have to give ourselves permission.
Draw the boundary.
Switch off the phone.
Say no sometimes.
And carve out time for the thing we need so much… true, nourishing rest.

With you in the messy middle,

Libby x