On rest.
As I sat in the wee small hours one evening breastfeeding, I got to thinking about rest. What it is, what we need rest from and what rest even means to us. Those late night feeds, quiet and peaceful, just you and your baby and your thoughts, can be such a wonderful time to ponder.
As I sat up in bed, feeling really tired, I thought about my need to rest the following day. And it got me wondering about what actually gives me rest. When I think of rest, my mind goes straight to sitting on the couch watching TV, but as I dug a little deeper that night, I realised that doesn’t really give me rest at all. I might not be doing much, but it isn’t truly relaxing nor does it fill my body with the feeling of being restored.
So what is rest then? I think it’s like recharging a battery. Giving yourself a chance to be full again, physically, mentally and spiritually. Filling your cup, because we all know you can’t pour from an empty one.
With that in mind, I realised that true rest for me doesn’t come from doing nothing. It comes from unplugging from the constant noise and distraction of life. If, for example, I don’t go on my WhatsApp for a day or two, I feel rested. It gives me a chance to be with myself, plitter about at home and just generally feel a sense of calm. Unplugging gives me a break from distraction and lets me refill.
Rest also comes from walking nature without my phone, I love taking the dog a walk and just being quiet in nature. It fills me up and allows me again to disconnect from the constant stream of connection, conversation, media and chaos of modern life. It’s these moments that really offer me the emotional and spiritual rest I need most.
Physical rest sometimes looks like a movie on the couch or lying in bed listening to music, or staring at the view. But even then, it isn’t the inactivity that restores me. It’s the dropping away of noise, expectations and mental clutter. Actually it’s the unplugging from technology and being so ‘open’ or ‘available’ for other people.
During COVID, when we were all at home. I felt the same sense of inner peace, not being around a lot of people all the time, getting out in nature a lot. It brought me a sense of peace and calm that I don’t often have. It makes me wonder, is my body always at some level slightly on edge, does modern life create a constant ‘edge’?
It also made me reflect on times at Be United when I felt like I constantly needed rest. Looking back, I can see it was because the work was draining me. It wasn’t filling me up, so of course I needed to recharge over and over again. And it made me wonder, if the work we do is energising, life-giving, aligned with who we are, do we need as much rest? If we were doing work that lit us up every day, would we even feel the same level of exhaustion?
If we designed the life we dream of, would we feel more energised? Would we need less rest? Is the need for rest linked to how much joy we feel from what we’re doing?
Of course, I’m not talking about times of illness, pregnancy or true physical exhaustion. I mean the everyday rest we crave when life itself feels draining.
There are so many kinds of rest and so many reasons we need it. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. And each one asks something different from us.
After all this musing, I came to a desire to be more intentional about doing more of what fills me up and less of what drains me. I want to understand the kind of rest I’m needing and respond to that. This season of my life feels more intentional than ever. I’m clearer about why I’m doing what I’m doing, how people and places make me feel and choosing to do far more of what leaves me energised and grounded.
What do you do to rest and truly reenergise? I’d love to know what kind of rest you need most, and what actually helps you feel full again.
Let’s make 2026, a year of feeling full, energised and full of vitality.
With energy,
💛 Emma