When the Coach Has to Take Her Own Medicine
This week I got sick. Nothing dramatic. Just a stubborn cold that knocked me flat in a way I didn’t expect. Congestion. Fatigue. The kind of exhaustion that doesn’t negotiate.
And here’s the truth: I had to take a dose of my own medicine.
As a coach, I talk a lot about nervous-system safety. About not pushing through. About listening to your body instead of overriding it. This week my body said,
“Sit down.”
And I did.
Not halfway. Not with one eye on my email. Not while secretly planning how to catch up later. I rested.
The Difference Between “Stopping” and Resting
There’s a big difference between being forced to stop… and actually resting.
Stopping is:
Canceling appointments but mentally replaying them
Lying on the couch while scrolling
Sleeping but feeling guilty
“Taking it easy” while planning how to make up for lost productivity
Resting is different.
Resting is:
Letting the house be imperfect
Letting the inbox wait
Letting other people handle things
Letting your body be in charge
This week I practiced real rest. Not just physical rest. Mental rest. Emotional rest. Control rest.
A Small Morning Victory
This morning I woke up and could breathe through my nose. If you’ve been stuffed up for days, you know that feeling. Clear air.
Easy inhale. No mouth-breathing panic. And instead of jumping up or checking my phone, I just stayed there. In my soft bed. Listening to the rain. Breathing. I let myself enjoy it. Not as something to rush past. Not as something to document. Just as something to experience.
Right now I’m sitting in my rocker with a blanket wrapped over my lap. Hot tea beside me. Kindle in my lap. Tissues within reach. This is not glamorous productivity. It’s just care.
This week, there were things I couldn’t do. Emails I didn’t answer. Work that had to wait. And instead of fighting that reality, I practiced something radical:
I let it be.
I let my body lead.
I let the world keep spinning without my constant supervision.
And guess what? It did.
Today, I’m writing as part of the lesson too. Rest doesn’t always mean doing absolutely nothing. Rest means not overriding your body. Today, writing feels gentle. It feels reflective, honest, and open. It feels like sitting in a blanket with tea and letting thoughts move through me. It is fulfilling, not draining. I feel present. There’s a difference between forcing output and allowing expression. This is allowed expression. And then I’ll close the laptop and go back to my Kindle.
What I Learned About Real Rest
Here’s what surprised me. When I truly rested — without guilt — something softened. My mind quieted. The anxious productivity voice got smaller. I wasn’t just healing a cold. I was healing my relationship with rest. Rest isn’t weakness, laziness, or falling behind. It’s trust. Trust that your body knows what it’s doing. That you are allowed to pause. That everything doesn’t collapse when you do.
Maybe You Need This Too
If you’ve been pushing…
If you’re ill or grieving…
If your body has been whispering…
If you’re tired in a way that coffee doesn’t fix…
Consider this your permission slip. Not to collapse. But to rest on purpose. To rest without apology. To rest without planning your comeback while you’re still in bed. Sometimes the most responsible thing you can do is step back. Breathe.
This week I remembered:
I don’t have to hold everything up.
And neither do you.