When Rest is the Only Option

Four weeks ago, I was feeling like the boss. I had just jazzed up the Chocolate Serenity site, dusted off the old blog, revived my Instagram game (@chocolate.serenity), and was laser-focused on mastering everything about Chocolate Serenity and my other venture, The Pleiniche Group. I was hitting the gym for at least an hour every day, drinking water like it was my job, and trying (emphasis on trying) to cut back on the sugar. At work, I was coaching two new teams, soaking up everything I could about enrollment management, and prepping for our crazy busy summer season. If you’re out of breath from just reading about my escapades, believe me, I get it now – but back then, I thought I was unstoppable.

While I was drinking my water and minding my business, life decided to give me a reality check in the most dramatic way possible.

I was heading home after a vigorous bike ride when I hit a curb and took a one-way trip to the sidewalk, face-first. Let’s just say I ended up looking like I had gone a few rounds with some MMA pros, my front teeth got acquainted with the pavement, my face was bloody and my body was sore everywhere. On top of all the ugly scrapes and bruises, I also got myself a concussion. Now, I have never dealt with a concussion before, so I had no idea what I was in for. What didn’t help was being told, in no uncertain terms, that I definitely did not have a concussion. The way healthcare professionals brush off Black women’s symptoms in the U.S. is just disgusting. But that’s another post for another day.

So there I was, thinking all I needed to do was recover from the physical stuff. Little did I know what was coming my way.

I was totally unprepared for the fatigue,
the headaches,
the aversion to light,
the irritability,
the rollercoaster of emotions,
the anxiety,
the brain fog.

I was just not ready for any of it. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, I had to put everything on pause. No workouts. No work. No writing. No reading. Some days, all I could manage was sleep. I even lost my appetite. Rest became my new best friend.

What I definitely didn’t see coming was how fantastic rest would feel. I hadn’t slept this much since I was a little kid. Since even washing my hair wore me out, naps became a daily ritual. Seriously, why don’t we all nap more? They’re amazing.

Since I couldn’t binge-watch TV and had to limit screen time, I’ve been blissfully ignorant of all the gloom and doom swirling around on my screens.

With nothing to distract me, I’ve found myself thinking more about how I want to show up in the world, appreciating that I made the wise choice to wear my helmet that day (even though I seriously considered not bothering), and feeling grateful for my mom and partner, who have been absolute rocks through all of this.

When rest is the only option, it can become an opportunity to clear out all the pointless noise from your day. Next week, I’m easing back into work with half-days. No back-to-back meetings, napping breaks when I need them, and switching to phone conversations when I can. It also means delegating more, saying no more often, and fiercely guarding my time.

When rest is the only option, it’s a chance to shift perspective. Instead of grumbling about what I can’t do, I’ve been trying to focus on being grateful. I didn’t break any bones. At my big age, that would have been a whole other nightmare. My team stepped up to the plate at work so I could take a breather. My manager and the HR team were amazing. I was able to get the time off I needed without any hassle. I’m especially grateful that I was able to see the concussion specialists pretty swiftly when the symptoms kicked in. It could have been a whole different scenario otherwise.

When rest is the only option, it’s an opportunity to rethink your choices and adjust your lifestyle. My mission is to revamp how I’ve been living. Before the accident, I had myself running around doing fifty-leven things because I was hell-bent on launching my businesses within a specific timeframe and in a specific way. Once I’m fully recovered, I’m overhauling my schedule so that I can take a breather in the middle of the day when I’m back to full-time work. In the past, I’d plow through lunch at my desk and hardly take a break. I’m also planning to slow things down. It might mean my businesses won’t launch exactly as I had in mind. And that’s okay, because when they do launch, I’ll be living a new way. I’ll also be taking more phone meetings so I can take a walk and feel the sun on my skin and get some fresh air.

When rest is the only option, it’s more than just downtime.

It’s a chance to reconnect with parts of yourself that have been shoved to the back row of your life.

A chance to be on the receiving end of kindness and grace.

A chance to shift from seeing everything through a lens of scarcity to a lens of abundance, from griping to appreciating, from doing to simply being, from being crazy busy to truly living, from doing the most to being your best.

So, here’s what I hope for you – may you not have to get intimate with a sidewalk to realize the importance of resting. Let my little misadventure inspire you to turn down some tasks and turn up the self-care. It’s not about deserving it, you actually need it. The world is in a tailspin, throwing more trauma, more uncertainty, and more stress our way every day. Your brain and body need some TLC if you want them to keep chugging along. So go on, take it.

How will you find time to rest this week? Hit me up and let me know.