Thought Rest Was Lazy—Turns Out It Was Feminine Power

By Selene Hart

For the longest time, I wore my exhaustion like a badge of honor.

If I wasn’t juggling three things at once, answering emails while reheating coffee for the third time, squeezing in a workout just so I could feel like I earned dinner—I felt like I was falling behind.

Slowing down felt like failure. Resting felt irresponsible.

I believed if I wasn’t constantly pushing, I wouldn’t be enough.

Until my body and soul finally said: “Enough.”

When “Doing It All” Becomes a Cage

I didn’t even realize how deeply I had internalized the hustle. It didn’t matter how tired I was—I’d smile, push through, overcommit, under-rest, then beat myself up when I snapped at my husband for no reason or burst into tears over the dishwasher.

I called it “just being tired.”

But really? I was disconnected. From my body, my needs, my feelings, and the version of myself I used to love. That girl who used to laugh freely, nap in the sun, cry during sad commercials, and read poetry in the bathtub.

She’d been buried under years of proving, pleasing, and powering through.

The Burnout Wake-Up Call

I’ll never forget the day I sat in my car outside the grocery store, hands gripping the steering wheel, trying to will myself to go inside.

And I just… couldn’t.

Not because I was lazy. But because I was done. Every part of me was whispering, please, stop trying to be everything all the time.

So I went home. Closed my laptop. And for the first time in years, I did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.

And guess what?

The world didn’t fall apart. My value didn’t vanish. My life didn’t crumble.

In fact, that one act of choosing stillness over hustle? It was the first time I felt like myself again.

What No One Tells You About Feminine Energy

We hear so much about feminine energy like it’s this airy, mystical thing. And yeah, it can be candles and moon rituals and soft music—but for me?

Feminine energy felt like exhaling.

Like unclenching my jaw.
Like sitting in a chair and letting it hold me.
Like not checking my phone the second I woke up.
Like asking myself what I needed before diving into what everyone else expected.

Feminine energy wasn’t about performance. It was about presence.

Rest Isn’t Lazy. It’s Revolutionary.

Rest is a radical act in a world that teaches us to prove our worth through productivity.

But here’s what I’ve learned (and keep relearning):

• You don’t have to earn rest.
• You don’t have to be exhausted to deserve a break.
• You’re not lazy for wanting peace.

Let me repeat that last one again for the overachievers in the back:
You’re not lazy for wanting peace.

My Relationship with Rest Now? Still Messy—But Sacred.

Let me be real with you. I don’t have the perfect “slow morning” routine. Some days I meditate for 10 minutes and feel centered; other days I doom scroll while brushing my teeth and forget to eat breakfast.

But now, I notice.

Now I don’t bully myself when I need to pause. I don’t cram my calendar to prove I’m valuable. I honor the moments when my body says, “We need less doing and more being.”

That’s the shift.

Things I’ve Started Doing That Changed Everything

✨ Naps without guilt.
Not the kind where you feel bad afterward. The kind where you let go and trust that rest is medicine.

🕯️ Turning everyday moments into rituals.
Lighting a candle before opening my laptop. Adding lavender to my bath. Playing soft music while folding laundry. Turning the mundane into magic.

💌 Asking myself, “What do I need right now?”
Sometimes the answer is water. Sometimes it’s a walk. Sometimes it’s lying on the floor for 10 minutes doing nothing.

🌿 Letting myself be unproductive.
There’s something wildly healing about doing something just because it brings joy—not because it moves the needle.

What I Want Every Woman to Know About Rest

If you’re tired—like bone-deep, heart-weary tired—I want to whisper this to you gently:

You don’t have to be everything today.

You can put the to-do list down.
You can rest and still be worthy.
You can say, “I can’t right now,” and the people who love you will understand.
And if they don’t? That says more about them than it ever will about you.

Feminine power doesn’t shout. It doesn’t rush. It doesn’t grind until there’s nothing left.

Feminine power listens. It softens. It chooses presence over perfection.

And rest? Rest is where it comes back home.

Still Resting Imperfectly

I still have days where I push too hard. Where I forget. Where I think I can outwork my feelings.

But now I come back faster.

I catch myself. I pour tea. I light the candle. I breathe.

Rest is no longer something I give myself after burnout—it’s something I protect before I reach that point.

To the woman reading this, feeling like she’s always behind—you’re not.
You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to be soft.
You’re allowed to stop striving and just be for a little while.

That’s not giving up.
That’s coming home to yourself.

And that, my love, is power.

With softness, always—
Selene 🤍