She might as well have thrown the mic at me.

The obvious aha was so big in my head:

Rest and leisure are not the same.

“Wait, what?”

Last weekend at a coaching symposium the speaker was dropping serious knowledge on our nervous systems.

And what rest actually looks like.

I’m a big fan of movement and nature.

I want to be outside DOING the thing and getting after it.
(Mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, paddleboarding…)

Her talk helped me realize that while those are excellent for my health and wellbeing…

They are not rest.

Those are leisure activities. Hobbies.

Ok, so I mostly knew that.

But it was a good reminder that I need to prioritize actual rest, too.

I’ve meditated [almost] daily for a few years now. Which has been life-changing.

But lately, I’ve been feeling a need for more calm.

(That you calling, mid-40s?)

And her talk solidified why.

To go inward. Slow down. Contemplate.

And, for me, probably more sitting and staring at nature (not flying through it).

We’re constantly surrounded by stimulus.

Notifications popping up like anxious kernels on our phones, computers, cars – everywhere.

So as a new season sets in, it feels like good timing.

To let our minds wander.
Our bodies recover.
To take deep, intentional breaths.

Even if it’s only 5 minutes.

Or 2.

Sometimes the thing you need is the simplest of them all.

Breathe.

Lie down.

Rest.

Maura

PS – Are you better at fitting in true rest? I’d love to know your fave ways. Or, thoughts on how you’re going to start trying to sneak it in.

PPS – 80s girl here. So of course my mid-40s are calling from a Zack Morris phone.