Stop Feeling Guilty: Why Rest Makes Successful Women Better
- Megan Devito
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
Why Do I Feel Guilty Everywhere?
Can I be honest with you for a second?
I'm a do-er. I love checklists and getting sh!t done!
I used to think rest was something for Sunday afternoons and holidays. That I'd earn some time to be lazy after I got enough done.
After I proved that I could knock everything out.
After I finally felt successful enough.
Guess what: There was always another list, another event, and more I wanted to accomplish.
So, I'd get tired, grouchy, stressed, and anxious. I felt guilty about everything: working too much, not working enough, taking time for myself, not taking enough time for myself.
You know the drill, right?
And here's what nobody tells you:
You can't think your way out of this.
Stop Feeling Guilty: Why Rest Makes Successful Women Better at Everything
I know you've heard this before. "Self-care isn't selfish." It's turned into a catch-phrase.
You understand the importance of self-care.
You get it intellectually.
But understanding and actually doing it?
Those are two completely different things.
Because the real problem isn't that you don't know rest is important. The real problem is the pattern you're stuck in.
The one where you feel guilty at work for not being home, guilty at home for thinking about work, and guilty when you rest because you "should" be doing something productive.
You're exhausted, but you can't stop. You're successful, but you don't feel successful in your body.
Here's what I've learned (and what I talk about in this week's podcast episode):
Rest isn't the opposite of success. Rest is what makes you successful.
What Happens When Your Nervous System Regulates
When your nervous system is constantly running in overdrive, you're operating from survival mode. You're reactive instead of responsive. Scattered instead of focused. Going through the motions instead of being in the moment.
But when you give yourself actual rest, not just sleep, but real time to do doing nothing, to create space, and be bored, things start to change.
Your brain works better. Your creativity comes back. Your decisions get clearer. You can actually focus on one thing at a time instead of feeling scattered between seventeen different things.
You're more efficient at work.
More present at home.
More YOU everywhere you show up.
Why Willpower Alone Isn't Enough
The patterns keeping you stuck, the beliefs about your value, the guilt that pops up when you slow down, the nervous system that's been on red alert, those don't change just because you decided they should.
This is why coaching is necessary! Having someone in your corner who can see what you can't see, to help you create new habits and beliefs, and to provide support and accountability, helps you create success with rest.
In this week's episode of More Than Anxiety, I'm breaking down:
Why you feel guilty everywhere and how to stop
How rest actually makes you better at everything
What it takes to create sustainable success without sacrificing yourself
The Boundaries and Balance Audit: Your Next Step
And if you're thinking, "This sounds great, but I have no idea how to actually make this happen in my life..." I hear you. That's exactly why I created the Boundaries and Balance Audit.
It's a one-on-one session where we:
Look at where you're spending your time and energy and why
Find the specific thoughts and habits keeping you overwhelmed and guilty
Create a clear plan for more rest and presence
Map out what support would actually help you make changes
If you're ready to stop feeling guilty for resting and have a clear next step toward using rest to create success, BOOK YOUR BOUNDARIES AND BALANCE AUDIT HERE.
Q4 if off and running. The holidays are coming up fast. Are you creating a life that allows you to have rest and success?
Talk to you soon.
💜 Megan
P.S. I mean it when I say you can't think your way out of this. The gap between knowing and doing is bridged by coaching. If you're tired of understanding what you need but not being able to make it happen, let's talk.
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