#selfcare

I've been thinking about how we treat rest days, and honestly, we've got it backwards.

We act like rest is something we earn after we've worked hard enough, pushed long enough, or proven ourselves worthy enough. We apologize for taking time off. We feel guilty about a lazy Sunday. We scroll through our phones on our one free evening, too exhausted to actually rest but too wired to sleep.

Rest isn't a reward. It's a requirement.

You know that feeling when everyone's talking about their 5 AM morning routines, cold plunges, and perfect meditation streaks, and you're just trying to remember if you brushed your teeth? Yeah, me too.

Here's something I've learned:

wellness doesn't have to be perfect to be valuable

The morning alarm goes off, and instead of jumping into your phone, you lie there for thirty seconds longer. Just breathing. Not meditating or manifesting or doing anything Instagram-worthy—just existing in that brief space between sleep and the day's demands.

This tiny pause isn't about becoming a wellness guru overnight. It's about recognizing that

you get to choose

Sometimes the best wellness practice is simply acknowledging when you're overwhelmed instead of pushing through. Your body and mind are giving you information – listen to it.

When everything feels like too much, try the

5-minute reset