Fall is here! Can you feel it? The air shifts, the calendars fill, and suddenly it’s like we’re all back in school again. Remember that mix of nerves and excitement? Fresh notebooks, the smell of sharpened pencils, nervous about who would fit with you on the bus?
Here’s the truth: as adults, we still get that “back-to-school” vibe every September—gearing up for something big—but underneath it all, many of us are just… exhausted.
September often feels like someone hit the fast-forward button on life. Work deadlines, family commitments, getting your steps in, shopping, etc all stacked like a tower of Jenga blocks ready to tumble.
And for years, I thought the only way to survive was to push harder, hustle more, prove I could keep up. But here’s what I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older: life doesn’t have to be so hard.
The problem isn’t that we aren’t doing enough—it’s that we’ve forgotten how to rest. And when we skip rest, the spark that should come with a new season? Poof—gone.
Rest isn’t collapse-on-the-couch-with-a-bag-of-chips rest. (Although hey, been there l, done that- Hagen Daz anyone? 🍨)
I mean intentional rest—the kind that fuels you so you can show up with energy, clarity, and joy.
Here are five simple ways to practice it this fall:
Redefine rest. It’s not just sleep. It’s giving yourself permission to sip tea, stare out the window, or say ‘no’—without guilt. Rest is pressing pause on purpose.Put it on the calendar. If you don’t schedule downtime, the world will schedule burnout. Block 20 minutes like it’s your most important meeting.Move gently. Rest doesn’t always mean lying still. Stretch. Take a walk. Do yoga. Think of it as active recovery for your life.Take a tech timeout. Scrolling is not rest—it’s mental junk food. Try an hour offline, and you’ll feel like you just decluttered your brain.Practice full presence. Be where you are. Eat without multitasking. Have a conversation without your phone buzzing on the table. Rest is choosing to just be.
The older I get, the more I realize—rest isn’t indulgence. It’s intelligence. It’s what makes the good parts of life sustainable.
✨ So let me ask you: are you ready to make this fall different? To chase your goals with focus and fire—but also with the wisdom to pause, breathe, and rest along the way?
If you’re nodding your head right now, I’d love to help. Book a Peaceful Ambition Strategy Call with me. Together, we’ll design a plan that blends grit with grace, ambition with rest—so you can step into this season energized, clear, and strong.
Because maybe your next breakthrough won’t come from pushing harder. Maybe it’ll come from finally giving yourself permission to pause.
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