The Difference Between Rest and Avoidance

Rest and avoidance can look similar from the outside. Both involve slowing down. Both involve stepping away. But internally, they feel very different.

Avoidance is tense. There’s an undercurrent of guilt or resistance. You’re not really resting. You’re postponing something that feels heavy or unclear. Even when you stop, your nervous system stays alert.

Rest, on the other hand, feels spacious. It allows the body and mind to settle. There’s no constant mental pull toward what you “should” be doing. Rest restores rather than depletes.

Many creative women struggle to tell the difference, especially after long periods of pushing. When you’re exhausted, even rest can feel uncomfortable at first. Stillness brings up thoughts and emotions you haven’t had time to process.

Learning to rest without guilt takes practice. It requires trusting that pause has value, even when nothing tangible is being produced. It also requires honesty about when you’re avoiding something out of fear or overwhelm.

Neither rest nor avoidance makes you a bad business owner. But knowing the difference helps you respond more compassionately to yourself.

If slowing down feels uneasy, ask yourself what’s underneath that feeling. Are you replenishing, or are you bracing? The answer can guide what you actually need next.