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When did rest start feeling like something you had to earn? We asked BetterHelp therapists Melissa Hummelt and Sreela Roy-Greene why so many of us are still waiting for permission to stop; to rest when we want to instead of when we absolutely need to. “Once everything is done, then I can sit. But the problem is, there is always more. More emails. More laundry. More emotional labor. More ways you could be doing better.” Melissa reflects on how rest keeps getting pushed a little further down a person’s list. Pushed back after the next task. After the next milestone. Until one day, it disappears entirely. Sreela adds that we don't have this mindset by accident: “If rest only comes after completion, and completion never comes, then you've built a system where your needs are permanently postponed.” “We become comfortable in our role as ‘the responsible one,’” she says. “Outsiders will say we make it look so easy. But it takes a lot of hard work to make it look easy, and that's not something we talk about enough.” Asking for help starts to feel like being a burden, and slowing down feels like falling behind. So we learn to hold it together, until we’re forced to pause. But here's the thing. That belief was handed to you. And that means it can be unlearned. The first step is simply deciding you're worth the rest. #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #FeelLighter #Rest