This past week has been about stopping, restocking, and taking a day—actually, four days—to pause, recharge, reconnect, and remember what matters.
It’s been a long year on many fronts, and someone reminded me that there are twelve weekends until Christmas (sorry, yes, I cringed too). It feels like time is spinning faster than we can keep up with. Deadlines, responsibilities, and the relentless barrage of news can make us feel like we are just one step away from burnout. It is easy to believe the answer is to push harder, hustle more, and outdo even our exhaustion. I know this feeling well. I have been here before, so I recognise the signs. And I know what is best to do when this happens: something quite simple. To rest.
Rest is a necessity. And no, I am not just talking about sleep (though we could all probably use more of that). I am fiercely protective of my sleep—trust me, it is better for everyone around me when I get the rest I need. But beyond physical rest, I am talking about something deeper. The kind of rest that recharges the soul, reintegrates the spirit, and brings us back to the things and people that truly matter. Because in times like these, what we hold dear is what tethers us to reality. Especially if the world seems to have gone mad.
Now, I know rest can sometimes feel like a privilege that not everyone can easily access. Between work, family, and life’s pressures, taking time to rest is easier said than done. But even if it is just a few minutes here and there, creating space for yourself to pause and breathe can make a difference. Rest does not have to mean a long vacation or a spa day (although that sounds nice!). It can be found in small moments of stillness, moments where we reconnect with ourselves, even briefly.
The world tells us to be busy, productive, and endlessly becoming. But maybe, as Paulo Coelho beautifully puts it, “The journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it is about un-becoming everything that really isn’t you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.”
Un-becoming and rediscovering ourselves
Maybe, like me, you love goals. Love doing stuff and are primed for action. We know that constant drive to become something—more successful, more accomplished, more *whatever*—has its place. Ambition is good. Growth is necessary. But what happens when, in the pursuit of all this “becoming,” we lose touch with who we really are? When the noise of daily life drowns out the quiet voice inside that simply asks us to be?
For me, that is where deep rest comes in. It is not just the pause between tasks or a weekend off (though that is great, especially for those who cannot take time away). But if we can, we must take the kind of intentional rest that allows us to reconnect with ourselves. It is the moment we stop striving and start listening. In that quiet space, we begin to shed layers of stress, expectation, and pretence, rediscovering who we were before the world told us who we should be.
Rest as reconnection
Rest is not just about self-care or pampering (though I will not say no to the occasional massage). It is more profound than that (especially since self-care has been co-opted and commercialised). It is about reconnecting—first with ourselves, then with the people and the world around us. When was the last time you had more than five minutes of thinking time about you? About your dreams and desires? And when did you last have a meaningful conversation with a loved one that was not rushed or interrupted? When did you last step outside to just be in nature without a to-do list lurking in your mind?
I will admit some people are better at this than others. I am NOT one of those people. I have to be intentional about my intentionality! I must regularly take stock of where my mental, physical, and emotional health is and recharge before things get out of hand. Maybe that is you as well.
The best way I have found for me is to reconnect with nature. Nature has so much to teach us about rest. The trees are not in a hurry. Even the leaves take their time falling in Autumn. The seasons do not rush (although I am still waiting for spring). Birds take the day as it comes. Everything unfolds at its own pace, and there is wisdom in that. Nature thrives on cycles—periods of growth and periods of rest. We are no different.
Tethering ourselves to what matters
In times of uncertainty—and heavens knows, we live in uncertain times—it is easy to feel unmoored. But it is often in these moments that we must reconnect with what we hold dear—our families, friends, passions, and even our inner selves. These are the things that ground us, that tether us to what is real and meaningful.
Taking the time to rest is not about escaping reality but reintegrating with it. It is about reminding ourselves that there is more to life than the grind – even when we are grinding at something we love. We need moments of stillness to recalibrate, to remember why we do what we do, and to make sure we are heading in the right direction – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
An approach to growth
Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to stop moving. To pause. To rest. To “un-become” the things we never really were, so we can step into who we were meant to be. Growth does not always come from pushing harder. Sometimes, it comes from letting go.
So this week and this month, if you can, I invite you to rest—not just physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Reconnect with the things that matter. Take a walk outside. Really look at the trees, listen to the birds, and watch the clouds. Or do whatever makes your soul sing and your heart flutter. Let yourself be still, even if only for a moment. And in that stillness, see what you find.
Maybe the journey is not about adding more to our plate but about clearing some space so that what truly matters can emerge. Rest is not just about recharging for the next leg of the race—it is about remembering why we are running in the first place.
I am off to rest before the rush to Christmas. I hope you will, too. What do you do to rest and recharge?
And as always, if you invest in yourself, and your team, the rewards will be unfathomable.
Until next time.
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