Have you ever reached a holiday so utterly exhausted that all you could do was collapse—and then spend the first few days just trying to feel human again
For many of us, especially those juggling work, care responsibilities, and health challenges, rest becomes something we “earn” only after pushing ourselves to the edge.
But you can’t rely on holidays to reset a chronically overwhelmed nervous system.
Just like you can’t catch up on a week’s worth of lost sleep in one night, your body and brain can’t fully recover from chronic stress during a single two-week holiday. Our nervous systems aren’t designed to function on a cycle of burnout and brief recovery.
A holiday should be the icing on a deep, rich cake of layers of self care.
Think of rest in layers.
Sustainable wellbeing isn’t about escaping once or twice a year. It’s about weaving rest and regulation into your life bit by bit. Here’s how:
🕐 Hour by hour
Can you build in micro-moments of calm? Check you are breathing freely. Look out the window. Notice your body. Tiny actions like these can nudge your nervous system toward safety. This is where the meat of change happens, and a big part of what I teach.
📆 Day by day
Daily rituals can act like anchors. A short walk. Five minutes of Constructive Rest. A regular meal without screens. Small, repeatable habits matter more than you think.
📅 Week by week
Set aside protected time—an hour that’s truly yours. Not to tick something off, but to be. Something enjoyable, nourishing, and entirely non-productive.
🗓️ Month by month
Check in with yourself. Not just when you’re breaking down, but proactively. How are you really doing? What do you need? Adjust accordingly.
🌴 Year by year
Yes, take holidays. They’re important. But they should be the icing on the cake—not the whole cake. Don’t wait until burnout forces you to stop.