It's Ok to take a step back

For a long time, I believed that success meant pushing harder, doing more, and proving my worth through productivity. I watched the rise of the “boss babe” culture with its slogans, highlight reels, and constant reminders that if you weren’t exhausted, you weren’t trying hard enough.

For some, this mindset works. It fuels ambition and momentum. But for many, especially in wellness, caregiving, and heart-led work, it quietly creates burnout, comparison, and a sense that rest is something you have to earn. And that’s where it starts to feel toxic.

This may not be everyone’s experience, but it has been mine and many others I have spoken to recently.

I have put work above everything else. I began to believe that if you weren’t working, what were you even doing? Even social moments became opportunities to promote, learn, or stay productive. I told myself it was always about helping others and never about money or being better than anyone else, which I still believe. But at some point, the exhausted version of me wasn’t helping anyone. Instead, I was quietly reinforcing a culture that says constant productivity is the price of worth. That mindset isn’t healthy. It isn’t sustainable. And over time, it creates an environment where burnout is normalized and rest is forgotten.

Being in this mindset quietly affected my relationships, my sense of peace, and my own health. I had to ask myself how I could guide others toward calm and healing while living in a constant state of exhaustion. The truth is, I couldn’t.

I’m not someone who believes in rigid timelines or overnight transformations, but starting today, I’m choosing something different. I’m choosing to slow down, to rest, and to stop believing that doing it all is a requirement for being worthy or helpful.

If any part of this resonates with you, know that you are not alone. So many of us have felt this same quiet exhaustion and unspoken pressure to keep going. There is comfort in knowing we can find each other here, offering support, understanding, and permission to live differently. Together, we can choose a calmer, healthier, and more sustainable way of being productive, one that honors both our work and our well-being.

There is nothing to prove here only space to breathe, soften, and come back to ourselves. You don’t have to do this alone. We’re allowed to move forward with more ease, together.