Rest as Rhythm

A personal reflection on reclaiming rest from urgency and returning it to rhythm.

I didn’t grow up with a clear sense of what rest actually felt like.

Sure, Sundays were “for rest.” But in practice, that often meant being at church early, serving, smiling, staying engaged, and spending the rest of the day in community or family spaces where the energy wasn’t always restorative.

There was goodness in it, yes.

But also: a lot of output.

A lot of pressure to be “on.”

And not a lot of time to hear what I actually needed.

For a long time, I thought rest was something you earned once you finished everything else.

Once you had proven yourself.

Once you had sacrificed enough.

I didn’t know how to soften.

I didn’t know how to feel stillness without guilt.

It wasn’t until the last few years that I began to relearn what rest could be.

It wasn’t easy at first. My body didn’t always know how to trust it.

But slowly, I started listening.

Now, rest shows up differently. It’s less about stopping—and more about returning.

Today is a Sunday. My body woke me up early. I’ve been writing, reflecting, and creating most of the morning. And it has felt like… rest.

Because for me, now:

• Creating can feel like rest.

• Being inspired feels like rest.

• A long bath, a nap, a deep breath in sunlight… all of that, too.

Rest, I’ve realized, is not an action. It’s a frequency.

It’s not the opposite of productivity