Productive Rest

December 29, 2025

Earlier this month, I had a bad cold. I rarely get sick, and this one had me parked on the couch for nearly a week. That’s very unlike how I usually spend my time. Sure, I enjoy relaxing and watching TV in the evenings, but never during the day. And yet there I was, day after day on the couch, napping, resting, and doing very little. Naturally, my inner critic had plenty to say. I kept thinking about all the things I should be doing. I’m usually productive. I’m disciplined. Why couldn’t I just get it together? What I was struggling with wasn’t the illness itself, it was the idea that rest meant I was failing at something. Read the full post to see my top 5 favorite things to ease a cold!

Rest is productive, not indulgent

One of the hardest lessons, especially for people who value discipline and follow-through, is accepting that rest can be productive. We’re often taught that productivity only counts when something visible gets done: boxes cleared, emails sent, projects moved forward. But when you’re sick, pushing through rarely leads to better outcomes. More often, it prolongs recovery, drains energy, and leaves you worse off than if you had slowed down sooner. True rest allows the nervous system to reset. It gives the body space to heal. It creates internal shifts that don’t show up on a to-do list but still move things forward in meaningful ways. In that sense, rest isn’t a pause from progress, it is the work.

The quiet work of healing

When I finally stopped trying to “power through,” something softened. My only real focus became sleeping, nourishing my body, and supporting recovery in simple, intentional ways. That looked like going to bed early and staying there. Eating foods that felt grounding and easy to digest. Letting my days be slower and quieter than usual. It also meant leaning into small comforts: warm baths, calming routines, familiar scents that signaled it was safe to relax. These weren’t productivity hacks or wellness checkboxes. They were gentle cues to my body that it didn’t need to stay on high alert. Nothing was being forced. And yet, things began to shift. My energy returned gradually. Clarity followed. Not because I pushed harder, but because I stopped resisting rest.

These are my top 5 favorite things to support me when I have a cold (and on regular days too!)

These are things I lean on when I’m under the weather, but they’re also part of my everyday rhythm.

Drinking [non-alcoholic] Wassail. This one is new to me, and it quickly became a favorite. It’s similar to mulled cider: warm, spiced, and deeply comforting. My friend Jessica made me a jug and delivered it to the house, which felt like care in liquid form. Sipping something warm and nourishing throughout the day became a small ritual that made resting feel intentional rather than passive. You can order some directly from her through her Facebook page, Pretzels Pecans.
A custom blended tea from Dandelion Botanical. There’s something incredibly grounding about a tea that’s made just for you. Having a blend created with rest and recovery in mind made it feel like support rather than treatment. It’s so nice to have something to sip slowly, multiple times a day, as a reminder to stay hydrated and be gentle with myself. Call them to have them make one up for you. The blend I have contains mullein, licorice, chrysanthemum, and honeysuckle.
Essential oils!! These were a constant companion. I leaned heavily on blends I’ve made myself- Magic Mojo, Open Air, and Golden Shield. Because scent is processed so quickly by the nervous system, these plant-based botanicals can gently shift mood, breathing, and overall sense of ease without requiring effort.
Red Light therapy. Red light therapy supports the mitochondria- the energy-producing centers of our cells- which play a key role in healing and recovery. When energy is low, this kind of support can help the body repair and rebalance without requiring effort or pushing. It felt like a deeply restful way to encourage healing from the inside out.
Far Infrared Heating Pad Warmth is underrated. Using this helped my body relax more fully, eased tension, and made rest feel deeper and more complete. It was one of those supports that didn’t demand anything from me, but gave a lot in return.

Doing less to gain more

There’s a cultural belief that stopping means falling behind. But illness has a way of proving the opposite. When you rest deeply, when you truly let your body do what it needs to do, you often recover faster and more fully. You return with more energy, better focus, and a clearer sense of what actually matters. Pushing through might look productive in the moment, but it often comes with hidden costs: longer recovery times, lingering symptoms, burnout that shows up weeks later. Rest, when taken seriously, pays dividends.

Sometimes the most meaningful forward progress happens because we stop. Deep rest creates space for things we can’t force—clarity, perspective, renewed energy, even creative breakthroughs that only arrive once the noise quiets. When the body is allowed to fully recover, the return isn’t just to where you were before. Often, you come back steadier, clearer, and more aligned than you were going in. What looks like a pause on the surface can quietly become the foundation for a leap forward.

A different definition of productivity

Being sick reminded me that productivity doesn’t always look like doing more. Sometimes it looks like listening. Sometimes it looks like stopping. Sometimes it looks like trusting that the body knows how to heal if we give it the space to do so. Productive rest isn’t lazy. It isn’t indulgent. It’s intentional. It’s respectful. And often, it’s the smartest choice available. Progress is still happening, quietly, internally, and on its own timeline. Even when it looks like nothing at all.