Rest, Even When You Feel Haven’t Earned It

You are allowed to rest.
Not later. Not when everything is done. Not only after you’ve stretched yourself thin or proven your worth to everyone around you. You are allowed to rest now.

Many of us were taught that rest is a reward. That you only deserve it if you’ve worked hard enough, if you’ve produced enough, if you’ve suffered first. But that is not the truth. You do not have to earn your way into softness. You do not have to bleed before you’re allowed to breathe.

There will always be something else to do. Another deadline. Another message to respond to. Another expectation to meet. And it’s so easy to believe that pushing through is the only way to stay afloat. But here’s something no one says enough: constantly pushing yourself is not strength, it is survival.

And you were made for more than just survival.

So let yourself pause. Let yourself nap without guilt. Laugh without needing to have finished all your work first. Eat slowly. Close your eyes and let your shoulders drop. Rest not just your body, but your heart, your mind, your spirit.

You are not lazy. You are not falling behind. You are human.
And you deserve rest, simply because you exist.

With all my love,
Olamide from MANI