This episode and post explore physical rest for entrepreneurs, going beyond “just get more sleep” to explain how to listen to what your body actually needs. It covers the body check practice, the concept of restivities, why capacity is resource dependent, and how pacing protects you as the most valuable asset in your business.
If someone asked you to name your business’s most valuable asset, what would you say? Your website? Your client list? Your systems and processes?
Here is the answer most of us miss: you are the asset. Not your business plan, not your offer, not your marketing. You. And if you are not paying attention to what your body needs, that asset is not being protected.
Rest Is Not Just About Sleep
When most people think about physical rest, sleep is the first thing that comes to mind. Get to bed earlier. Get up at the same time. Fix your sleep hygiene. All good advice, and worth doing if that is where you are.
But physical rest goes deeper than that. It is about learning to listen to what your body is trying to tell you, all day, every day, not just at bedtime.
Women who run businesses while caregiving, managing health challenges, and showing up for clients tend to learn one skill really well: ignoring their own signals. We give grace to the other women in our lives who are stretched thin. We rarely give that same grace to ourselves.
The Body Check: A Simple Place to Start
One practice worth trying is what a counselor once described as softening and slowing. Sit down. Let your body settle into the chair. Then ask yourself a few honest questions:
- What is hurting?
- What is bothering me?
- What does not feel right?
That is it. No fixing required yet, just noticing. This is a learned skill, and like any skill, it takes practice before it feels natural.
Restivities, Restful Activities, Not Just Downtime
There is a difference between rest and what gets called “restivities,” restful activities that actually help your body recover. Sitting at a desk all day is not rest. Scrolling your phone for hours is not rest either, even though it can feel like it in the moment.
Real restivities might look like:
- A walk outside, even a short one
- A few minutes of stretching or movement
- Sitting in the sun
- Time in the garden
- Something playful, just for the fun of it
The goal is not to add more to your to do list. It is to notice what your body is actually asking for, and give it that instead of another form of busy.
Capacity Is Not Fixed
Here is something worth sitting with: capacity is not a fixed number. It is resource dependent. Are you drinking enough water? Eating food that fuels you? Getting real rest, not just sleep? If you are running your resources down again and again, your body will eventually start to complain, and eventually it will simply say, “I’m done.”
Take the Time, Make the Space, Find Your Pace
Pacing is not about doing less. It is about doing what is sustainable. Take the time, make the space, and find your pace. It may take longer to get where you are going, but you will get there, without paying the price of pushing past what your body can handle today.
You & Your Business Are Worth Resting For
If you have been ignoring the signals your body has been sending you, you are not alone, and it is not too late to start listening. You and your business are worth resting for.
Curious what type of rest you need most right now?
Take the quiz at https://ItStartsWithRest.com/quiz and find out.
This post is part of a series on the Doing Business Gently podcast exploring the different types of rest entrepreneurs need. Catch up on mental rest and emotional rest, and stay tuned for the next episode on spiritual rest.
Rest Series: Rest for the Chronically Capable Entrepreneur
- Episode 109: Rest Isn’t a Luxury, It’s a Business Strategy (the 5 types you’re missing)
- Episode 110: You’re not lazy, you’re mentally maxed out
- Episode 111: Why You Need Emotional Rest (and What It Feels Like When You Don’t Get It)
- Episode 112: You Are the Asset and Physical Rest is How You Protect it
- Episode 113: Spiritual Rest: You Can Do Everything Right and Still Feel Disconnected
- Episode 114: Selah Sessions: Permission to Rest for the Chronically Capable Entrepreneur
Marta Goertzen is a Gentle Business Coach and founder of Selah Studios, host of the Doing Business Gently podcast. She helps Christian women entrepreneurs over 50 rediscover who they’ve become, realign their business to match, and fall in love with their work again, gently, at their pace, without starting over. As an avid photographer and lover of the outdoors, she daily explores the trails and beaches of the South Central Oregon Coast with her dog Mochi in tow. Take the free Business Alignment Audit as your gentle first step, a way to pause, get honest, and see clearly where you and your business are right now: https://SelahStudios.co/alignmentaudit