A Place To Rest
Rest is not something we do. It's who we are.
Rest is where life relates to life, beyond the linearity of performance time. Rest is play. Connection. Spark. Lingering. Exalted time. Priceless. Excessive. Without subordination to a goal or external purpose.
It can’t be forced. It can’t be rushed or tacked onto the end of the day. There is no secret. It's not a formula or solution. Rest is as natural as breathing and waking up. Rest is part of our nature.
Life can lead us through disorientating, uncomfortable, and exhausting seasons. It might be the result of a deliberate choice (pursuing something desirable), a forced shift (dealing with an expected or unforeseen change in circumstances), or a gradual transition (responding to a chain of events over time).
During a season like that, chances are we have spent a lot more time in stress response mode (flight, fight, freeze, or fawn).
Highly sensitive people are likely to be on high alert, be hyper-vigilant, and absorb a lot of sensory information as they scan their surroundings. This is mainly happening below our conscious awareness and builds over time (a whole life). We might exist in a functional freeze state (numb but effective).
A sustained period like this can ultimately lead to overwhelm and burnout due to persistent dysregulation in the nervous system, and tension in the body and mind. This is especially true if we've had little opportunity (or we don't know how) for the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and do its thing (bring us back to a deeper calm).
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone; there's nothing wrong with you. You're in the right place, alongside people at different stages in their relationship with this stuff.
True rest is not a state of apathy or isolation. Humans are built to thrive in community and connection with others. It's never too late to find this.
Rest Asssured
Get Started With The 7-Day Email Series on Finding Rest Despite Life's Noise
Are feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm stopping you from feeling alive and connected to yourself, other people, and the things that used to matter most? If so, this mini-course can help.
I've put together Rest Assured to help you experience rest in a fresh way (not the way we're taught to see it), and learn how to build it into life so you can grow your life from sustainable and meaningful roots on your own terms.
You’ll also hear from me once a week or so with my Notes From a Slow Coach. You can unsubscribe at any time.
What Do You Need?
Pause. Take a deep breath. Focus your attention inwards....
What am I feeling?
What do I need right now? (e.g. Air, Food, Movement, Exercise, Shelter, Water, Sunlight, Earth, Sustainability, Touch, Sensuality, Affection, Wellbeing, Stillness, Relaxation, Healing, Ease, Rejuvination, Flow, Connection)
What is one small action I could take right now meet that need?
These questions are intended to help focus your attention on what is alive in you right now. To give permission to the feelings and needs that you notice, and to make a gentle request of yourself as you identify potential ways to meet those basic needs.
This is not a demand to do more. It's an invitation into a place of safety and rest. Feel free to engage with and use the questions in ways that help you. Hold them gently and lightly. Let them converse with your spirit, and allow them to guide you towards a new place of healing as you gradually restore your energy.
Rest in The Haven
If you are feeling alone and sense that you have an unmet need for connection (and understanding), the community is full of big-hearted gentle rebels who "get it". You are so welcome to join us.
The Haven is a place of rest and refuge. Maybe you need to spend time reconnecting with the core of your being right now. There's no pressure to do anything more than take some deep breaths and know that you're not alone. You are accepted just as you are. You belong and you are welcome, just as you are.
Rest At The Sound Harbour
Would you enjoy some intentional time and space to slow down, pause, and reorient? At the Sound Harbour, we set aside 60 minutes for rest, re-connection, and some gentle rebellion.
Rest At The Fireside
If you're feeling overwhelmed and stuck in survival mode, you can join me for a One-to-One chat by The Fireside. We can explore some possible options to help you bring the boat back from the choppy waters and into your harbour again.
Rest
What do I need right now?
Reframe
What am I letting go?
Build
What is changing?