How was your weekend?

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Dear Reader,

On a typical Monday morning (or Tuesday after a long weekend), you might be asked, “How was your weekend? Do anything fun?”

If I worked in an office and was asked this question today, I would say “Great! I went to a college hockey game. I cooked a meal for my son and his roommates. I rooted for all of my teams, made some chili, and baked banana bread. And during yesterday’s storm I went to the boardwalk to check out the *very* high tide.”

Not too long ago I remember being very frustrated by that question each Monday, especially when it came from my boss. I would pause, say “it was fine” and then I would be stuck. I couldn’t remember if I had done anything because usually I hadn’t.

(My boss would then tell me about the dinner party she hosted, the garden she had planted. and the tennis match she played.)

And this happened week after week.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was completely burned out. I thought I was resting but I was essentially non-functional on the weekends. I slept a lot. I went to bed early, slept late, and took naps. I didn’t socialize much at all. If you were looking for me, you’d find me in my bedroom, sleeping, scrolling, watching tv, and occasionally reading,

But ironically, I wasn’t rested when I went back to work on Monday

That kind of “rest” doesn’t feel like rest at all – it feels like survival. You’re lying still but not feeling restored. You tell yourself you’re relaxing, but don’t feel any better afterward.

That’s not rest. That’s a sign of depletion.

Consider a different kind of rest:

• Sitting on the floor and stretching your body in the middle of the workday.
• Consciously pausing to read a novel instead of cranking through your neverending to-do list.
• A mid afternoon walk around the block with no podcast, no agenda.
• Pulling out markers just to doodle ideas on paper.

You don’t “produce” anything. You are resting your body and your mind. And you feel alive again.

Now don't get me wrong, there are times where complete stillness and a whole lot of sleep is absolutely necessary. I’m not suggesting that you not do it if that’s what you need. But I am suggesting that if it’s happening week after week, it’s a sign of something bigger that needs to be addressed.

When we wait until we’re burned out to rest, rest looks like collapse.

But when we practice rest as part of our rhythm—not as a rescue mission—it can actually give us energy.

Creative rest is:

→ Anything that reconnects you to wonder

→ Anything that wakes up a sleepy part of your brain

→ Anything that lets you be a person, not a performer

It’s where good ideas come from.

It’s where clarity lives.

It’s where you start to feel like yourself again.

My creative rest these days is coming in the form of reading, cooking, gardening (I’m a novice at this one), and DIY home improvements. And yes, a good nap now and then is still important.

So tell me: what kind of rest are you craving right now? The kind that’s reactive—or the kind that’s regenerative? What’s one way you might build creative rest before you need it?

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Wishing you a peaceful and purpose-filled week,

Beth

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