What Season Are You In? – Allowing Rest
By: Patrice Flanagan-Morris, LCSW
There is so much information out there on how to be the next best version of yourself. Even when we go through hard times, we give ourselves a moment, maybe one week – maybe even one month of rest. And then we expect that our mind and body are back at it. We don’t know how to manage months of rest because most of us don’t have restful activities. The only rest we know is numbing out or disconnecting in some way.
Seasons of Rest
We all need seasons of rest – life requires it of us. It doesn’t have to be a huge loss or trauma that precipitates this. Sometimes your body simply says enough is enough. I cannot do it anymore. I need to slow down. Too often we hear this message, give ourselves one minute, and then we are back at it. We are embarrassed by needing this. Why is this? We download messages constantly about what being a “good enough” person is. It means you work more than 40 hours per week, you are in a ton of activities, your kids are in all the activities and you have a side hustle.
Seasons of rest require that we slow down. They make our seasons of activity more fulfilling, motivating, and supportive. When we try to go at 60mph in a season of rest – things generally don’t pan out. We drop the ball, things get lost in the shuffle, and it feels somehow like the universe is blocking us from moving forward. Maybe it is. Maybe you need to stop, for this moment, for a little while, and embrace the rest.
What Does This Look Like?
Seasons of rest require that different aspects of our life slow down, not stop. The pictures below give some understanding of how each area of your life could look a little different:
Shifting to rest is not easy for many of us. If you notice that you are trying and trying but keep getting overtaken by things like anxiety, over-booking yourself, not being able to say no. It might be time to reach out, to work on some of these barriers so you can live a more rejuvenating life. You deserve it.
Shifting into rest is not easy for many of us. If you notice that you are trying and trying but keep getting overtaken by things like anxiety, over-booking yourself, not being able to say no. It might be time to reach out, to work on some of these barriers so you can live a more rejuvenating life. You deserve it.