Do you know those times when you keep pushing yourself through the day or even months?
Doing more. Getting more. Having more.
Not because you really want to, but because you just can't see doing nothing as an option.
Our economy is built on constant action.
And when enough people live by it, it becomes a powerful stream that quietly pulls us along.
In that stream, “rest” often feels like a problem to solve rather than a human need to honor.
When we try to rest, we usually end up in one of three patterns:
-
We push against the current
We spend energy resisting the stream of busyness and fighting for a moment of relaxation. Resting itself becomes effortful and tense, being the opposite of what we actually need. -
We surrender to the flow
We stop choosing our own direction and just let the current carry us.
Over time, we live more and more according to other people’s priorities and ideas on how to live. In other words, we live the life of others.
That can gets us sooner or later to feel empty.
“I’m doing all of this, but it doesn't fulfill me. Is this really how I want to live?” -
We step out of the stream
We swim to the side for a moment and let ourselves pause and accept that we miss out on what everyone else says matters right now: trends, opportunities, momentum; perhaps even "security?".
Do they sound familiar to you?
The research is clear that being constantly “in action mode” is not sustainable while it's also the surest way to miss what holds fulfillment (the present).
So, the question is just:
Do you have the courage to rest?
Do you have the courage to let go of the urge to do more when your body tells you already "give me break"?
I recently got invited by Serena Low (刘善明) to a podcast episode in which we explore the importance of resting with one goal:
to give your mind enough “food” that it can finally quiet the voice that says:
“But you still have to do more…”
And let a different voice get louder:
“It’s okay not to act right now. It's okay to let go and welcome peace.”
If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to listen to the conversation:
Listen to the episode with Serena Low here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1955873/episodes/18795348
Reply and tell me which of the three “rest patterns” you recognize most in yourself. I’d be curious to hear.
I wish you a good time listening to it,
Christian
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