Episode 5 - It’s Okay to Sit & Rest with Veronica Williams

By Jessica Garrison

We are joined this week by Veronica Williams, a nurturing, loyal, thoughtful, compassionate, supportive, and patient soul. Her story is unique to her, yet I could connect with so many things she was saying during the episode, and I know everyone else will be able to find their own point to connect with, too.

In particular, Veronica’s journey with self care encompasses all aspects of F.E.E.L. Veronica talks about showing up in the manner that people need her, something so important to remember when we are communicating our wants and needs. Sometimes people are looking for advice and sometimes they just want to vent out their frustrations, but whatever it may be, not everyone wants the situation “fixed.” Stretching yourself thin to cover everyone’s needs is difficult enough—you don’t need to waste extra energy on doing things that the other person may not even be asking of you. Above all else, you have to take care of yourself so you can be the person you want to be for others.

I’ve listened ahead to a few episodes this season, and a common theme that’s been coming up is the idea of resting and not feeling bad about it. Veronica is a big supporter of just sitting on the couch, not doing a breathing exercise, not doing meditation, but just sitting in silence to rest. We are always on the go, and if we take a break, even for 5 minutes to just sit, we feel like we’re lazy and wasting time. Melissa and I agree that we need to get the word lazy out of our heads; it’s a word that has kind of taken on a different meaning than what it’s truly supposed to mean. I can tell you with absolute certainty that you are not lazy because you take a break and rest.

A personal example in my life is I wait tables part-time, and I am not exactly an extrovert. When I come home from work, I need a few minutes of sitting in silence in my room just to breathe and gather my thoughts. I call it my decompressing time and if I don’t do that for myself, I am easily agitated and overwhelmed. It does better, not only for myself, but for those around me to take those extra few minutes. If you’re struggling with this idea, consider it like self care, which isn’t selfish at all. You are filling up your own cup to be able to pour into others, and I’m glad this conversation is being had more and more.

There is so much amazing content in this episode, make sure you have paper and pen with you to take notes while you listen. Veronica’s resources are invaluable, and our episodes are always available to go back to when needed. I think this is one that will be visited for many years to come.

Ways to Engage: When’s the last time you sat down and relaxed? No meditating, no reading, no exercises, just sitting and resting. We think of ourselves as “lazy” when we do this, but here is a reminder that it’s okay to be still and enjoy a moment of peace.