As we dive into our summer book club selection–Sleep Drink Breathe by Michael Breus–I got to thinking about the topic of REST.
I know it might sound like a silly question—But in a culture that shouts “You can sleep when you’re dead,” we rarely pause to ask:
What does rest actually look and feel like… for you?
Because here’s the truth: Rest is different for everyone.
And it’s rarely just about sleep.
Resting in a Summer State of Mind
For me, rest looks like curling up with a book on the back deck, my dog Olive nestled beside me.
Sometimes, it turns into a nap (the best kind).
Other times, it’s a few deep breaths at red lights…
Or a two-minute pause with my breath and a favorite guided meditation from Insight Timer.
Summer creates an interesting paradox when it comes to rest:
With daylight stretching from 5 a.m. to nearly 10 p.m., quality sleep can feel elusive—but maybe that’s our cue to lean into other forms of restoration.
Why We Need Rest
The longer I work with women to overcome chronic illness, rebalance hormones, and reclaim restorative sleep, the clearer it becomes:
Modern health is mostly about the care and regulation of the nervous system.
We need to feel safe inside our own bodies—even in the midst of life’s storms.
The research backs it up:
Even just a few intentional breaths each day can create measurable calm over time.
It doesn’t have to look like a yoga class or sound bath.
Just sit outside. Close your eyes.
Even if all you hear is traffic, listen with curiosity instead of analysis.
Put your hand on your heart. Feel your breath move.
Do you hear anything beyond the hum? Birds? Trees rustling? A dog barking?
Rest as Rebellion:
Sometimes I challenge my clients to find just one minute of rest a day—not as another item on a to-do list,but as a quiet rebellion against our culture’s obsession with output.
One minute of staring out the window.
One minute of feeling your feet on the ground.
One minute of noticing the temperature on your skin.
No performance. No productivity. Just… presence.
The Plot Twist About Rest
Here’s what surprised me when I started paying attention:
The things I thought were restful—
✨ Scrolling Instagram
✨ Staying up late reading
✨ Even some forms of yoga
—were actually just different flavors of stimulation.
Real rest has spaciousness.
It isn’t about being entertained or even being “productive” with your self-care.
It’s about giving your system permission to simply be.
So much so that staring into space is not only allowed…
It’s encouraged.
Your Rest Experiment:
What would happen if you experimented with rest this week?
Not as homework—but as a gentle investigation.
✨ What does your body do with 60 seconds of nothing?
✨ What kind of rest actually feels restorative—not just numbing?
✨ Does rest feel boring at first? Foreign? Revolutionary?
Drop me a note and tell me what you notice.
I’ve found women have some of the most profound insights when they begin to reclaim this very simple, very radical practice.
Warmly,
Dr. Krista