Rest doesn't have to be earned

Watch a cat find a patch of sun and you will not see any negotiation. It does not check whether the dishes are done. It lies down, because the warm spot is there.

Many of us treat rest differently. We save it as a reward for later: once the inbox is clear, once the week is over, once everyone else is looked after. Later has a way of moving further away.

Small rests count

Rest does not need to be a holiday. It can be ten minutes with a cup of tea and no phone. A slow walk with no destination. Sitting by a window and letting your thoughts wander without steering them anywhere.

These moments are easy to dismiss because they look like nothing. That is part of what makes them restful: nobody is asking anything of you.

Talking can be a kind of rest

For some people, an hour of conversation is the opposite of rest. For others, it is the one hour in the week where they do not have to hold everything together. You can talk about what is tiring you, or you can talk about something light and leave the heavy things where they are.

Either way, you do not have to earn the hour first. If you would like to book one, you can send a request whenever it suits you.