nb: The voiceover and post are NOT the same as the video.
The other day, my mentor Sandra Sweetman led a deceptively simple practice in her Ease Into Being group:
She invited us to take just 30 seconds to rest.
Not meditate.
Not try to calm down.
Not breathe intentionally.
Just… stop.
Do nothing.
She ran the timer while we sat together in silence.
I thought, Sure. I can do that.
But within seconds?
Multiple texts from my kids. A client message. Another notification.
It was as if the universe said: Seriously? You think you get to rest now?
And that’s the word that floated through my mind:
Seriously?
Even with permission, even with community, even with an expert holding the space, rest felt nearly impossible.
That tiny moment uncovered something deep:
In a world built on fractured attention, doing nothing feels like rebellion.
Why Even 30 Seconds of Rest Feels Foreign
We’ve been conditioned to fill every gap—every pause, every in-between moment—with something.
Our brains, shaped by smart phones, constant alerts, and endless scrolling, crave stimulation.
Even TV shows and movies now move faster than they did 20 years ago. Our pace of consumption has changed—and so has our capacity to simply be.
When we try to pause, our nervous system often interprets it as a threat.
Stillness can feel vulnerable, even unsafe.
But that doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. It means your system is doing what it’s been taught.
3 Everyday Invitations to Rest
You don’t need an hour. You don’t need to earn it.
Rest can begin in the middle of your messy, beautiful, demanding life.
☕ Sip Something Slowly
Let your tea, coffee, or water be more than fuel. Feel the warmth. Taste it. No phone, no agenda—just you and this moment.
🌳 Look Out the Window
Let your eyes rest on something steady—leaves, sky, shadows moving across the floor. Let yourself be in the world without doing.
🐾 Walk Without a Goal
Whether with your dog or on your own, take a short walk with no destination, no steps to track, no podcast to absorb. Just movement, air, and you.
These tiny rituals are acts of restoration.
Each one tells your body: You’re allowed to pause. You’re allowed to rest.
Reflect: What Came Up for You?
Now that you’ve tried the video:
What did you notice in those 30 seconds?
Did rest feel nourishing—or did it make you squirm?
What stories does your mind tell you when you try to stop?
There’s no wrong answer here.
Just information. Just curiosity.
This isn’t about getting it “right.”
It’s about becoming aware of how far we’ve drifted from rest—and finding our way back, one moment at a time.
💛 I’d love to hear what surfaced for you. You can leave a comment or share your reflection in community.
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