I have had people say this to me when I’m struggling to function in a high-pressure environment. Instead of it turning me into a ‘diamond’, I ended up burning out, but still pushing through as that is what I have been told I should be doing…

On the other hand, I’ve been watching a lot of ‘Great British Bake Off’ lately and bread rises when it rests.

There was an episode I saw the other night where the judges commented that the bread wasn’t ‘proved’ enough, meaning it hadn’t rested for long enough to become what it was meant to be.

I know that I don’t function well under pressure, I need a lot of rest. This week, I’m taking time off and I am already feeling a lot calmer, saner, and my brain is slowing down.

I’m learning that I’m a loaf of bread, not a diamond.

I need to be more like bread…

Be more like bread…

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I need rest.

This is a non negotiable.

I can’t ‘just push through’ otherwise I end up sick.

I have to put myself first, both my mental and physical health count on it.

Talking with a friend recently, she pointed out that, especially for neurodivergent people, we need to schedule recovery times around running events. So, instead of a speech, for example, taking up one day with travel and attending the event, we need two days, the day of the speech and the next day for recovery.

I am doing a business program right now and was worried about the hours I was reporting, then it hit me – my rest time, my recovery time, is all part of my work too, as if I don’t have that, I can’t do anything else.

I need my breaks. I need my slow start to the day. I need a long, quiet lunch break. I need naps. These are not ‘nice to have’ things, I am realising how important this is for me to be able to function.

Things that I need to do in order to build rest into my day/week include not charging by the hour, instead charging by the project or service so I can build in that rest time, as well as have more passive income opportunities so I can make money while I sleep. This includes book sales, as well as things like my RedBubble shop and some subscription ideas I have in the planning.

Rest is a non-negotiable in my life, and changing my mindset to see it as productive time is something that I am working on. After a lifetime of putting everyone else first (partner, kids, employers, etc), I need to prioritise my own health, then I can better be there for others, and it’s not simply having a bubble bath, it’s a whole lifestyle thing.

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