When Rest Isn’t a Reward

I used to think I had to deserve rest.
That if I hadn't worked hard enough,
moved enough, achieved enough.
Then I didn't qualify.

That belief isn't mine, it was taught.
Trauma trains us to prove we're worthy.
To work harder, push through.
Make pain invisible.

Tells us rest is a luxury, not a birthright.
Rest isn't a reward.
It's necessity.

Nature doesn't ask permission to rest.
The ground doesn't earn its stillness after a season of growth.
It just is. It rests so it can rise again.

Healing doesn't come from doing more.
It comes from being.
Resting without guilt,
without justification.

Don't have to prove our worth,
exhausting bodies, minds, and hearts.

Rest is not something to earn.
Something required.
Like the land - we reset.
We breathe.
We simply exist.

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* peer reflections: not medical or therapy advice. *