you don't have to earn your rest tonight

I know exactly what you are doing right now. You are trying to relax, but your mind is building a frantic list of everything you haven't done. It feels like a low, anxious hum in your chest. The quiet panic of being still.

You’ve somehow convinced yourself that if you aren't moving, if you aren't producing or fixing or organizing, you aren't mattering. You treat rest like it is a prize you only get to hold after you have completely emptied yourself out. You think you have to be running on fumes to deserve a moment on the couch.

But you do not have to buy your peace with exhaustion. Look at the room around you. The laundry sitting in the corner can stay there. The messages glowing on your screen can wait until the sun comes up. The earth will keep spinning even if you aren't the one pushing it.

It is okay to be a human being instead of a human doing. It is okay to lie in the dark and just listen to the hum of the refrigerator. It is okay to consume a quiet hour and have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Your worth is not measured by your output today. So please, put the heavy things down. Let your shoulders drop away from your ears. Close your eyes and take a real, deep breath.

You are allowed to do absolutely nothing tonight. Love,

Srijan……