Last week was graduation for my youngest, and in a span of just a couple days my quiet home was filled with family and friends from across the country. There were so many emotions and activities and things to be done and keep track of that it was hard at times to keep it all straight.
I didn't pick up the house or put things away. I didn't jump back into work on a full schedule. I slept in on the weekend, had pizza for dinner, rested, and took some time to just be.
Of course there was stuff to do that wasn't getting done, and that was okay. After all the commotion and stress of the last week, I just needed a break.
I wasn't being lazy, I was taking care of myself.
Rest isn't Laziness
That’s the part we’re rarely taught to recognize. Rest doesn’t always look intentional. Sometimes it shows up after you’ve spent days keeping track of logistics, emotions, conversations, and everyone else’s needs. Sometimes it hits when the event is over, the dishes are still out, and you realize you can’t keep track of one more thing. You go to answer a message and forget what it was about. You walk into a room and just stand there, blank. You sit down for a minute and start to scroll.
And even then, the mind might try to label it. Lazy. Behind. Avoidant. But that’s not what’s happening.
What’s really happening is the nervous system recognizing a chance to reset. The subconscious, long-trained to keep going under pressure, sees a quiet moment and finally lets go.
When the pressure lifts, the mind often drops. That’s not failure. That’s a practiced pattern.
When my kids were little they would, like most little kids, be going non stop all day. They were like tiny balls of energy barreling through the day at high speed. And more often than not, they resisted rest. They would fight sleep like champions, wanting to get just a little more out of the day.
All it took to get them to settle down was just a few moments of quiet, just a brief pause that gave them permission to close their eyes and wind down. That pause isn’t weakness. It’s permission. And when you stop fighting the need to pause, everything gets a chance to recalibrate.
Take a Break
After the energy has been spent, and the people have been cared for, and the things are done. After something meaningful has ended, you have a real need to recover that energy, those resources.
Start by allowing yourself to pause on purpose. And yes, there are things that need to get done, and they will. For now, take 15 minutes of downtime.
Set a timer and sit with your feet up. Step outside and feel the air on your face. Lay on the couch with your eyes closed and let your body exhale. Let the sun hit your skin. Let the silence gather. Let your mind wander without needing to catch it.
These aren’t throwaway minutes. You're not being lazy. You’re regulating, restoring, resetting.
Downtime isn’t doing nothing. It’s giving your system exactly what it needs in order to do the next thing well. And the more often that message gets through, the more your mind begins to trust it. That’s how the pattern starts to change.
How Hypnosis Helps
Hypnosis helps that shift take root in the deeper system by showing your subconscious a new rhythm. One where rest isn’t a failure, it’s part of the flow.
Your system doesn’t have to collapse in order to recover. That’s the difference. You don’t have to crash in order to deserve a break. You can arrive gently. Stay longer. And find ease, even when there’s more to do.