Permission to Rest
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Erica: [00:00:00] Today we’re talking about something our culture rarely gives us permission for—rest, and why slowing down might actually be your greatest power move.
Two days after my birthday, I noticed something. My body was whispering. Rest, not push harder, not celebrate more, just pause. And the truth is we live in a culture that glorifies the grind and guilts us for slowing down. But rest. Rest is rebellion, rest is medicine. Rest is the permission slip most of us don't give ourselves until it's too late Today, our inner sanctuary raw, I wanna talk about what it really means to let yourself rest and why giving yourself the permission might be the most powerful thing you do this year.
So if you're listening on the go, see if you can slow your breath even just for these few [00:01:00] minutes. Let's settle in together.
Welcome to the inner sanctuary Raw, the place where high functioning adults come to strip away the noise, regulate their nervous system, and come home to themselves. Room by room, breath by breath.
We've been programmed to believe that rest is laziness. That if you take a day or even an hour, you're falling behind. But here's the truth. Burnout is what robs your time, your joy, your relationships. Rest doesn't take away from your life. It gives it back. Think about it. How many times have you pushed through exhaustion only to get sick, make mistakes, or feel resentful?
That's the tax of ignoring rest. And honestly, you don't need to earn rest.
You are already worthy of it, simply because you [00:02:00] exist.
Maybe you grew up in a family where being busy was a badge of honor, or maybe you learned to equate stillness with laziness. But what if you could rewrite that story starting today?
Let's talk about the nervous system reset. Rest isn't just sleep. It's a nervous system regulation. It is giving your body a chance to switch outta survival mode. When you pause, whether it's a nap, a walk without your phone, or just laying down for 10 minutes, you're teaching your system safety.
And safety is what allows healing.
The body doesn't repair when you're in overdrive. It repairs in rest. So if you've been wondering why you feel stuck, a foggy or disconnected, maybe it's not because you need to do more. Maybe it's because you need to rest more. [00:03:00] Let's try something together. If you're able, close your eyes just for a moment.
Notice your breath. Notice any part of your body that's asking for softness. For a break. Can you give yourself permission right now to let go? Just a little. Even a single breath can be a reset.
Here's your permission slip today, you are allowed to rest. When the laundry isn't done, you are allowed to rest even if someone else doesn't understand. You are allowed to rest simply because your body is asking for it. Rest is not something you apologize for. It's something you embody. And when you do, you show others what's possible.
Imagine a [00:04:00] world where everyone honored their body's needs for rest, or you could say, I need a pause. And it would be met with respect, not judgment. What would shift in your relationships, your work, your sense of self, if you truly let that be okay?
So let me ask you, where in your life are you overdue for rest? What would shift if you gave yourself permission today, not someday. Because here's the secret. When you rest, you rise. When you pause, you actually move forward faster. This week I challenge you to schedule one unapologetic pocket of rest.
Call it sacred. Call it radical, but claim it. And when you do, you remember that rest [00:05:00] isn't weakness, it's the foundation of your power.
Thank you for spending this moment of stillness with me today. Remember, your rest is not a luxury. It's a lifeline. If today's episode spoke to you, share it with someone who also needs that permission slip to pause, and if you haven't yet, subscribe, so you'll never miss these daily reminders to come back home to yourself.
Because here in the inner sanctuary, you don't have to earn your peace. You just have to allow it.
Erica: Remember—rest isn’t weakness, it’s the foundation of your strength. Take one unapologetic pause this week, and let it remind you that you don’t have to earn your peace—you just have to allow it.
