Give Yourself Permission to Rest
A reminder for when you’re running on empty.
Hey,
Lately, I’ve been reminding myself of something simple, but very easy to forget: give yourself permission to rest.
There are seasons in life where everything just feels… heavy. You’re trying to stay consistent, trying to be patient, trying to keep pushing, but internally you can feel it, your endurance is running low, your patience is thinning, and even your emotions start to feel off. And in those moments, it’s easy to think something is wrong with you.
But sometimes… nothing is wrong. You’re just tired.
I always think about the story of Elijah in the Bible. After everything he had gone through, the pressure, the battle, the emotional weight of it all, he got to a point where he told God, “I’ve had enough. Take my life.” And God’s response wasn’t a correction or a lecture. It was simple: eat and rest. He let him sleep. He gave him food. And when he still wasn’t fully restored, He let him rest again. Only after that did Elijah get up, refreshed, and continue the journey.
I love that so much because it’s such a gentle reminder: sometimes you’re not unmotivated, sometimes you’re not falling off, sometimes you’re not “behind.” You’re just exhausted.
And instead of forcing yourself to keep going, what you actually need is to pause and refresh.
I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately, and it feels like so many people are in waiting seasons, seasons where what they expected doesn’t match their current reality, seasons that feel longer than they thought they would be. And those seasons can drain you, not because you’re weak, but because you’ve been carrying a lot for a long time.
So this is as much for me as it is for you: give yourself permission to rest.
Sometimes what you need isn’t another strategy or more discipline. It’s not forcing yourself to push through. Sometimes what you need is a proper meal, a good cry, a long nap, a conversation that feels like a warm hug, a moment to just pause and breathe.
And sometimes, it’s even deeper than that. It’s giving yourself space to mentally recover, to not always be in “go mode,” to not feel guilty for slowing down.
Because rest is not a distraction from the journey. It’s part of it.
So if you’ve been feeling stretched, tired, or emotionally drained lately, maybe the most productive thing you can do right now is rest. Not quit, not give up, just rest… and come back refreshed.
With love,
Nk ‘pausing and refreshing’ 💜
Content I consumed instead of doomscrolling…
🎥 Movie: The Suicide Squad (2021)
🎙️Podcast: How To Actually Make Your Wildest Dreams Come True (In Life) by I Said What I Said
🎬 Youtube: The Truth About How Depression Saved My Life with Chude Jideonwo
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