03/30/2026
💤 LEARNING TO REST | A Mental Health Necessity
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Let me ask you something:
When was the last time you truly rested — not just stopped moving, but actually let your mind, body, and spirit exhale?
For many of us, rest feels like a reward we haven't earned yet. We push through exhaustion, wear busyness like a badge of honor, and tell ourselves we'll slow down — later.
But here's what the research AND Scripture both tell us:
🧠 Clinically, chronic lack of rest is directly linked to increased anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and burnout. Your nervous system was not designed to run on empty.
📖 Spiritually, even God modeled rest. Genesis 2:2 tells us He rested on the seventh day — not because He was tired, but because rest is sacred. It is built into the design of creation.
Rest is not weakness.
Rest is not laziness.
Rest is not something you earn.
💛 Rest is a mental health necessity.
This week, I want to encourage you to take one intentional step toward rest:
✅ Go to bed 30 minutes earlier
✅ Step away from your phone for one hour
✅ Sit in silence — no music, no TV, no scrolling
✅ Say no to one thing that is draining you
Your healing requires your rest. You cannot pour from an empty vessel, and you cannot grow in a body that never recovers.
Give yourself permission. 🙌🏾
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Dr. Navita Johnson-Belcher, DMin., LPC, LCDC, CART
Perseverance Counseling & Consulting, LLC
Telehealth Mental Health Services | Texas
💻 Accepting new clients via Headway & MDLive
