This reminder goes out to anyone who’s a child of an immigrant. We saw our parents working non-stop and if your childhood was anything like mine, we also had to work when we were children, help around the house, go to work with them, help our parents navigate this new country. Was I told to take a nap as a child? No! I actually got in trouble when I was laying down.
Now as an adult, I’ve been teaching my nervous system how to rest. I’ve been telling my younger self that taking a day off doesn’t mean I’m being lazy nor does it mean I’ll fall behind on whatever I’m working on. Yes, being able to rest and take a day off is a privilege, but my parents also told me they didn’t want me to have to work as hard as they did. (I know, a bit of contradiction of what I was taught.)
So this week I’m taking it slow. I’m carving out time to rest. Stop doing. And just be with myself. I invite you to join me, even if you can’t take a full day off, take some pauses and do something that brings you joy.