This week's Healing Moment isn't a breathing technique, it's a question. Jessica invites you to slow down and sit with a journal prompt designed to uncover what rest truly means to you, beyond the wellness buzzwords. Because before you can prioritize rest, you have to actually know what it looks and feels like for you personally.
What You'll Learn
Why most people chase the idea of rest without ever defining what it actually means to them
The difference between rest that restores you and rest that's just downtime shadowed by guilt
How to identify what's really getting in the way of rest, external responsibilities or internal beliefs about earning your worth
Why rest is a biological need and a healing practice, not a reward for productivity
Try It Yourself
Grab something to write with, a journal, your notes app, even a napkin, and sit with this prompt:
What does rest actually mean to me?
Then, let whichever of these follow-up questions pull at you lead the way:
When I imagine truly resting, what does that look like? What am I doing? Where am I? Who is or isn't there?
When I rest, do I actually feel restored, or does guilt, the to-do list, or a sense that I should be doing something else follow me in?
What gets in the way of real rest for me? Is it external (kids, work, responsibilities) or internal (a belief that I have to earn it)?
When was the last time I genuinely rested, and what made that possible?
What would I need to let go of, even temporarily, to give myself that again this summer?
rest, journal prompt, self-reflection, nervous system healing, summer series, healing moments, rest vs. productivity, worthiness, guilt and rest, defining rest, biological need, healing practice, self-inquiry, restorative rest, burnout recovery
Transcripts
Jessica (:
Hi, welcome back to Healing is My Hobby. I'm Jessica Calarco, and as you know, I'm having a summer series for you guys to keep the healing going this summer, and this is your healing moment for this week. Last week we practiced the 478 breath, a nervous system reset you can take anywhere. If you missed it, go back and listen. It's a good one. This week we're going a little deeper, not with a breathing technique, but with a question.
Because sometimes the most healing thing you can do is sit with the right question long enough to hear an honest answer. And today's healing moment is a journal prompt. So if you can grab something to write with a journal, your notes app, even a napkin, whatever you have. And if you're driving in your car or on a walk, you just listen and let the question sit with you. You can come back to the writing later. Here we go. We talk
About rest a lot in wellness spaces. Rest more, rest better, prioritize rest. But here's what I notice in my clinical work: most people have never actually stopped to define what rest means to them personally. They're chasing a concept they've never fully examined. So today, that's your prompt. Right at the top of your page, what does rest actually mean to me?
And then I want you to go further with these follow-up questions. You don't have to answer all of them. Let the ones that pull at you lead. When I imagine truly resting, what does that look like? What am I doing? Where am I? Who is or isn't there? When I rest, do I actually feel restored?
Or does the guilt, the to do list, or the sense that I should be doing something else follow me in? I know that is something I struggle with for sure when I try to rest.
And what gets in the way of real rest for me? Is it external, kids, work, responsibilities, or is it internal? A belief that I have to earn it, that I'm only valuable when I'm productive? When was the last time I genuinely rested? And what made that possible? What would I need to let go of, even temporarily, to give myself that again this summer?
Take a few minutes, right? Honestly, nobody is reading this but you. Rest is not laziness. It is not a reward for productivity. It is a biological need and a healing practice. And this summer, I want you to get specific about what it actually looks like and feels like for you. because a version of rest that doesn't restore you isn't rest at all.
So with this one, let it be honest. I'll see you next Monday. Take care of yourself this week. And if you would like to read my blog or stay up to date, you can sign up for the newsletter at healingismyhobby.com. You can follow me on Instagram or YouTube at Healing is My Hobby. And if you'd like to know more about my clinical practice, you can go to my website at Jessica Colarco LCSW.com or follow me on Instagram at Jessica Colarco LCSW.
