EP 94: Yesterday, I Stayed in Bed Past 8am
This episode is a part of a special series of sharing Substack letters. Subscribe to Ana’s Breathe More Substack at https://breathemore.substack.com/
Yesterday, I did something I used to never be able to do:
I stayed in bed past 8am.
I wasn’t sick. I wasn’t recovering from burnout (for once).
I just… rested.
And even though that might sound small, for me, it’s a big deal.
Because for most of my life, I didn’t know how to rest.
I’m the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrant parents.
Growing up, I never once saw my parents call in sick, take a day off, or let themselves slow down.
If I tried to take a nap, my mom would call out from the kitchen,
“¡Levantate, hay mucho que hacer!”
Get up! There’s too much to do.
Rest was seen as lazy. Indulgent. Selfish, even.
So I stayed busy. I helped. I performed.
That’s what made me feel safe, useful, loved.
What I didn’t realize then was that rest is something we learn by having it modeled to us.
And if no one shows us how to rest, especially if our body is used to chaos or urgency, stillness can feel unsafe.
When I was a kid, there wasn’t time for rest.
My dad was an alcoholic.
My mom worked multiple jobs and carried her own anxiety.
There were four of us girls, and I was the oldest.
So I helped make meals. Cleaned. Managed my sisters.
Tried to stay one step ahead of any emotional explosion that might be coming.
That was my version of safety:
Anticipating everyone’s needs.
Keeping the peace.
Staying useful.
As I got older, that pattern didn’t go away, it just evolved.
I used to fill every minute of my day.
Even on vacation, I’d pack my itinerary to the brim. The idea of slowing down or not having a plan made me so uncomfortable I could barely sit still.
I remember visiting one of my sisters once, and the house was completely quiet.
No TV. No music. No background noise.
The stillness made me so uneasy I got up and turned on the radio.
It felt like trying to meditate while someone held a ticking clock to my ear.
That’s the thing about nervous system dysregulation, it convinces you that rest is unsafe.
Even when your body is exhausted.
Even when your mind is screaming for a break.
It’s only through deep healing that I’ve begun to unravel that belief.
And breathwork has been one of the most important tools for that.
Because it doesn’t just give you permission to rest.
It teaches your body how to feel safe in rest again.
This is why, in my work with clients, we often begin by gently untangling those early beliefs:
Who told you that you had to earn your rest?
Who made you feel lazy for slowing down?
What happens when you let yourself just be?
So many high-performing people have no idea how exhausted they are because they’ve never experienced what true rest actually feels like.
That’s what The Summer Reset is all about.
Not hustle. Not performance.
But deep, nourishing support that meets your body where it’s at.
Because rest isn’t a reward.
It’s your birthright.
And I’d love to support you in remembering that.
If your body is craving a softer pace this summer,
The Summer Reset is here for you.
And if rest is something you struggle with too, feel free to hit reply and share. I’d love to hear from you.
xo Ana