I now fully realize that rest is not a setback; it's a vital refueling for my physical body, mental energy, and spirit. When we learn to rest, and do so without anxiety, it helps clear pathways and provides much-needed clarity. Rest allows our bodies to restore and prepare for whatever our future may hold. If we don't rest, our bodies will force us to, whether we like it or not. Rest isn't about being lazy; it's a critical function all of us need to stay healthy, sane, and well within our own skin.

Your Body's Language & The Universal Call

For the past two weeks, I've been dragging. Barely getting things done, battling mental fog, and feeling utterly overwhelmed while trying to decompress on the job. I have a long list of tasks for this site, my social media, and upcoming projects, all of which I'd hoped to complete in that time, on top of creating new content. This isn't about the tasks being difficult; it's a true test of my mental capacity to keep up with the demands. As a creative, the structural and technical aspects of this endeavor are draining, especially when all I want to do is create and share with you all. Perhaps you thrive on the technical and structured aspects but struggle with the creative side. We all know that tasks we don't enjoy demand far more energy than we initially anticipate. It's a steep learning curve, especially if you're as headstrong as I am. Back down from a challenge? Never. Push through discomfort for the ultimate prize? Sign me up! If you relate to those statements, prepare to feel exposed in this post. Sorry, not sorry.

The mental, physical, and spiritual barriers built up over those two weeks, and I ignored them. I was truly going through it. I should have acknowledged my needs sooner, but I can't dwell on that now. I'm still healthy, and I see that as a profound blessing. I need to act now before my body or the Creator forces me to. As I mentioned earlier, I'm taking this time to rest and relax. In the past, I'd push through everything until I hit a wall – getting ready became an impossible task that ended in uncontrollable tears. I learned the hard way to schedule time off and to take time when I got sick. I used to believe that pushing harder meant getting there faster, but that has repeatedly proven to be a lie in my life.

Understanding the signs that your body needs rest isn't difficult, but truly listening to those signs can be. When your body is fatigued, you might experience muscle soreness, achy joints, frequent illness, persistent tiredness, restlessness, poor quality sleep, and changes in appetite. When your mind is fatigued, common signs include mental fog, impaired cognitive functions, difficulty concentrating, frequent "brain farts," short-term memory impairments, and headaches. When your spirit is fatigued, you may feel consistent out-of-body sensations, profound tiredness, a lack of compassion, increased risk-taking, feeling separated from Divinity, feeling stuck, and a lack of sense of purpose. These lists are far from complete, as each person experiences things differently. Stay open and attuned to the unique messages you receive from your body, mind, and spirit.

Ignoring these messages will only make them stronger and more intense. The Universe simply wants you to rest, take a breather, and return when you're restored. It doesn't want you to fail. These intensifying nudges are solely there to keep you safe, alive, well, and sane. Learn from my mistakes, and heed them the first time around.

PMDD, The "Monkey Brain," and the Fear of Laziness

I understand the added intensity that illness can bring to fatigue. I personally live with Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which demands more sleep, especially around my period. This cycle has been particularly rough, leaving me even more exhausted than usual. I've been sleeping longer, requiring more food, and feeling mentally drained. My irritability skyrockets, demanding extra strength just to avoid lashing out. I have to stay incredibly vigilant with my moods as they can switch like a light, making it hard to find a neutral ground. It's exhausting being on edge with myself while simultaneously being triggered by external circumstances beyond my control. The mental tax when symptoms flare up is incredibly high. On top of all this, I'm left to constantly assess whether I'm overreacting or if my reaction is simply amplified but justified. It's like trying to coax a screaming two-year-old to help you, begging and pleading throughout the day for them to settle, knowing discipline only makes it worse. You might get a few hours of quiet when they're finally asleep, but when they're awake, it's "game on."

When all these factors affect my psyche, I sometimes feel like a loser or that I've failed, but this is far from the truth. Through my radical self-love journey, I've learned I cannot hold myself to an unreasonable, toxic standard. I must consciously choose self-love and grant myself grace in these instances. I am not lazy for needing a break from daily stress or for sleeping a few extra hours to function. I'm a human whose brain, a relic from ancient times, can trick me into believing my self-worth is tied to high-quality output—a residual fear that if we weren't contributing to our group, we were dead weight. Like last week's post on courage, it's our "Monkey-Brains" acting out of a desire for comfort, even when it's detrimental to our overall health. Just because you're used to working 80-hour weeks doesn't mean it's sustainable; something has to give. To avoid a forced stop when you least expect it, you must plan for time to rest and replenish yourself.

Resting isn't lazy; in fact, it's the opposite: it's productive. Rest will help you reach higher heights when you return to the grind and significantly reduce burnout, allowing you to continue your best work. It's also okay to take it slow, to gradually build back to your previous capacity, or to simply move at a slower pace sometimes and quicker others. It's okay to rest regardless of your age. In my family (mostly extended), children were expected to work tirelessly, seen as bursting with endless energy. This belief was deeply ingrained in me, and I can tell you I've experienced burnout more times than some adults twice my age. I'm only 26, and I used to genuinely believe that my youth meant I had endless wells of energy to throw at everything. I do have an abundance of energy, which is a blessing, but I also desperately need rest. That energy doesn't always need to be used for taxing tasks that leave me drained and empty. It can be used to create more energy and do things that replenish my soul, like creative tasks or spending time with some of my favorite people.

Premonitions, Paranoia, and The Dream's Truth

Our bodies often work off intuition, knowing what's coming before our minds grasp it. I felt this rest was crucial preparation for whatever lies ahead next week. I have no idea what's coming, but an undeniable feeling tells me something is. I'm choosing to lean into that intuition, trusting that this rest is the necessary precursor for my next step – be it a physical or a spiritual challenge, especially with my spiritual landscape constantly shifting recently. This rest is essential for me to rejuvenate and learn how to calm down, allowing things to flow even while my "Monkey-Brain" is panicking.

This underlying anxiety recently surfaced in a vivid, panicked dream about a place I long to return to. Three nights ago, I dreamt I was driving my old Granite Crystal Metallic Jeep Renegade Latitude to my old apartment, only to decide to park about two blocks away in a non-existent parking lot. As the sun set, I began walking, but the further I went, the further the apartment receded, and the darker it became. After what felt like fifteen minutes, I quickly turned back. I reached the parking lot just as its dim lights flickered on, only to realize I'd somehow forgotten where I parked (which is entirely out of character for me). I ran up on a vehicle identical to mine, with a man sitting in the driver's seat, door open. I immediately went ballistic, yelling that he was stealing my car. As I approached, I realized he wasn't a thief at all; he simply owned an older version of my vehicle. Mortified, I apologized, then looked up to see my own Jeep parked in a completely different area of the lot. He seemed incredibly understanding of my confusion. As I walked to my car, his family returned, his wife visibly upset by the encounter, but they simply gathered their kids and left.

This dream profoundly exposed how unstable I had become, a stark signal that I desperately needed to chill out. The anxiety from the dream showed me the unconscious, symbolic representations of feeling vulnerable, ungrounded, and even a return to past fears of being taken advantage of. It was a remarkably profound and insightful experience. The very next night, I had two more dreams: in the first, I was indeed taken advantage of, and in the second, I kept messing everything up and overthinking simple situations. Luckily, the second dream concluded with a vital message: as soon as I calm down, relax, and trust my body, everything will work itself out. Even if it seems as though I've messed up, it's only a matter of my perception.

Your stress can manifest in dreams just like these. It's crucial to consider all factors when discerning how your body and the Creator show you that you need to rest. Heed these messages early, so you're not forced to rest in an inconvenient or unpleasant way.

The Power of Voice and Release

Last week, as I scrambled to finish my blog post at the last minute, I experienced an incredibly uncomfortable pressure in my throat. It felt like an urgent need to speak my truth, but I wasn't even sure what that truth was or how to articulate it. I've always struggled with "causing" conflict, and I intuitively sensed this pressure was tied to my throat Chakra. Past Emotion Code sessions had revealed significant trauma stored there—some originating from me, some inherited from my family. All of this had left me with a profound difficulty in standing firm in my own truth and advocating for myself. I had been taught, through the actions of others, that my opinions, thoughts, and input were not valuable or wanted. Over the years, I learned to bottle everything up, never truly expressing myself or my needs to those around me. This act of constantly sealing my truth, of rarely advocating for myself, has been utterly exhausting and draining for most of my life.

It wasn't until three days later, after a much-overdue conversation with a loved one, that the truth became shockingly clear. I had allowed conflicts between us to build up, and this emotional backlog was draining me, manifesting as that incredibly uncomfortable pressure. I realized I needed to stop abandoning myself in these conflicts in a misguided attempt to "prevent further conflict." I was, in essence, steamrolling my own boundaries and ignoring the desperate need to speak my truth. While I've grown quite adept at enforcing my boundaries with everyone else, this particular relationship felt like my final "boss battle." We ultimately had a genuinely good and constructive conversation about the pain points. Immediately afterward, the intense pressure in my throat subsided, leaving only the sensation of phlegm, which then vanished entirely with a good night's sleep. The release was so powerful and profound that my body rewarded me for finally advocating for myself.

I truly never want to experience that again. The sheer stress of being physically okay, yet feeling that suffocating pressure for days, was deeply unpleasant. This was just one energy center of my body, yet it expressed a powerful need to release and then recuperate. It marked the beginning of me trusting myself above all else, and it unequivocally led me to hear the call to rest even more clearly.

Embracing the Rest and Preparing for What's Next

So take it from me—someone who has profoundly struggled with releasing and resting—that rest isn't some luxury, like a Prada handbag. Nor is it being lazy or a sign of failure in your life. It is, in fact, the most loving, caring thing you can do for yourself; a truly productive act that promotes higher-quality growth. The amount and type of rest you need are entirely unique to your experience. Perhaps you need a day off to simply sleep or just be alone. Maybe you need to connect with people who uplift and support you, or engage in an activity that brings you pure joy. What's most important is that you do what you can with the resources you have. No one will fault you for trying, and if they do, that's not the energy you need in your life—enforce those boundaries.

Remember to listen to both the subtle and not-so-subtle signs that you may need rest. This process of deep listening comes with learning to trust yourself, the process, and the Creator. It will help you identify exactly where your energy is being spent and how to effectively avoid burnout. When you learn to understand your body, trust your intuition, and work in harmony with the Creator, you become an unstoppable force, capable of strategic rest for that next big level-up.

Sometimes, you'll need to compromise on your plans to make way for the much-needed rest you crave. It's crucial to realize that whatever projects, challenges, or opportunities await you will still be there once you've refreshed and returned. Anything truly meant for you will patiently wait; anything that isn't, will simply leave. Believe that your blessings are uniquely for you, and you are not in competition with anyone for them. This is a profound spiritual belief, and if you'd like a deeper dive, you can read my article on spirituality here!!!! .

You are a precious, lovely, and powerful human being with a fundamental need to rest. It's impossible to continue on an empty tank; you simply must fill that tank with rest. I know it can feel incredibly difficult when there's so much to get done and no end in sight, but trust me when I say taking time for yourself is paramount. This is especially true if you're a caretaker of any kind—you cannot fill someone else's cup when yours is empty. The people you care for will ultimately benefit most when you are well-rested. When you show up for yourself and rest, you intrinsically benefit everyone around you, leading to a better quality of life for all, starting with you. So, take the time you need to rest and relax; all of your responsibilities and tasks will be waiting for you in the meantime.

That's all for this post, dear Adventurers. If this message brought you value or enjoyment, please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit. Remember, we're all on this journey together, and the more companions we help guide, the brighter our collective future will be.

I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments below or reach out directly via my Contact Me page or social media accounts (linked in the site’s footer). If you feel called to support this work, I'd also deeply appreciate any monetary donation to help keep this site alive and improving. You can find the donation page linked in the site's footer. I truly look forward to connecting with you and reading your insights as I prepare for next week's adventure.

With Love,

Jamelah Luckett