I am sure we all remember where we were when our world shut down last year. I had just returned from vacation and conveniently a haircut, and then, we were sent home.

As we passed the anniversary COVID-19 becoming “real” to us in the United States, I have been thinking a lot about what that quarantine period has meant. Although there are many things that I wish would have been different, I do plan to keep one habit in particular from this crazy time. 

Rest.

When we were asked to stay at home, my job shifted to the virtual format and that afforded me some more flexibility with my hours. I started walking daily – initially for sanity’s sake, and later more for solace and routine. I slept in a little bit more. My pace slowed. Closing my work computer went from late evening to earlier in the afternoon.

At first, I felt it was a temporary luxury (and to be clear, the ability to work from home is a privilege). But the more I lived in that world, and despite the chaos that ensued around me, there was something grounding about that practice.

In society and diet culture, we are taught to believe that we need to “hustle” and “grind it out” and it is always a matter of “willpower.” With dieting, we are led to believe that we should ignore our cravings (for example, “have a piece of fruit or drink water instead of eating dessert”) and that if we muster up the strength, we can overpower our body’s physiology and eat only a predetermined number of calories. 

But what if we actually honored our bodies’ cues? What if we allowed space to be with our thoughts, both the ones we are proud of and the ones that we have shame around? What if we slowed down and did what was best for us? Not what society, marketing, or social media said, but what was best for us. Respected our bodies enough to hold space for processing our feelings and emotions, alone and with those close to us. Prioritized ourselves instead of what society and diet culture says.

What if we listened to our bodies more? I don’t know about you, but my body over quarantine could only take so much. With emotions and stress high and routines completely thrown out the window, I found myself exhausted in a new kind of way. 

Sure, my default tendency was to aim for achievement during quarantine and take on extra projects (I’m looking at you, sourdough bread). But what I learned was that holding space to be still and to rest is just as important as any attempt to engage in self-care or self-improvement. I also learned that rest didn’t necessary mean sleeping or doing nothing. Rest sometimes included sitting on my couch with the sun shining on me, reading, walking, being in nature, spending time with my spouse, on the phone with a friend, laughing along with TV shows, or saving the work emails until tomorrow. Rest also sometimes included processing big feelings and doubts, struggles, and the uncertainty. But I wouldn’t have been able to process it well without the space created to do so. It was meaningful and life-giving.

So, I would encourage you to hold the space you can for the things that matter to you. That doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with feeling like I need to achieve and strive and accomplish all the things. I struggle with comparing myself to those people who work all the time and feeling like I’m not enough. But then I remember, how much better I feel when I do rest. When I honor my body and what I feel. Whether that’s navigating the invasive diet culture messages, society’s expectations of a professional working woman, or more, simple daily life, I’m better for respecting my body and being kind in this way.

Society and diet culture tell us we can’t rest and that “someone is outworking you right now” – I heard that in sports all the time. 

Don’t believe that lie. Rest is not just for the weak. It’s for the strong and grounded.

And you deserve it.