Why Rest Is Not Failure: The Importance of Protecting Your Physical Health

Have you ever felt guilty for slowing down, getting sick, or taking time to recover?

In this episode of Brave Moves, Julie DeLucca-Collins shares a personal reflection after taking a week off from podcasting due to illness. She explores the connection between physical health, productivity, self-worth, and recovery, and explains why rest is not a sign of weakness but a necessary part of sustainable success.

If you've been struggling with burnout, exhaustion, illness, or the pressure to constantly perform, this episode is a reminder that taking care of yourself is one of the most important investments you can make.

In This Episode

•  Why rest is productive 
•  The guilt many high achievers feel when slowing down 
•  How to recover without feeling like a failure 
•  The importance of protecting your physical health 
•  Why consistency includes recovery 
•  How to return after setbacks without overdoing it

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Have you ever gotten sick and immediately started feeling guilty? You know, not just physically sick, mentally guilty. Like you're falling behind, like you're letting people down, like somehow your worth is tied to your productivity. Well, if that's you, then today's episode is for you. Because for the past week, I've been sick. And for the first time in a long time, I have fallen behind, not only on this podcast, but on so many different things that matter to me. For instance, being able to do basic chores around the house, or spending time with my mom, or making sure that the business is running in the direction that I want. And before we dive in, my friend, and we unpack this episode, I want to remind you that please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs permission to slow down today. And stay with me to the end because I want to share with you the important difference between giving up and recovering and why one of them is essential if you want long-term success. And I want to tell you, I don't know about you, but I can be pretty hard on myself. When I make a commitment, I want to follow through. When I have a goal, oh my God, I want to achieve it. And when I create a routine, I want to stay consistent. So when I miss recording an episode, when I miss being able to do the things that matter to me, not only for the business, but for the things that I love, like podcasting or spending time with those I care about, you know, it really hits me. And being able to show up in this episode, being able to show up in this podcast means that I have to have a voice, which I haven't. And there is another voice that I have to pay attention to, not only the one that allows me to record, but the one that says, you should have pushed harder, you should have figured it out, you're falling behind. But here's what I realized: my body wasn't failing me. My body was asking me to listen. You know, recovery is not weakness. We live in a culture that celebrates hustle to push harder, to do more, to sleep less, to keep grinding. But your body keeps the score. And eventually it asks for what it needs: rest, recovery, healing. And ignoring these signals doesn't make us stronger, it usually makes us sicker. So I will tell you it all started with a little bit of a flare-up of my autoimmune, which two weeks ago led to me getting a cough. And after getting the cough, the cough intensified. And then I moved on to a UTI. From the UTI, then I moved on to having hives, breaking out in hives. And I think the hives are just the cherry on top. The cherry on top that are saying, wow, we're breaking down. Your body needs the rest. And you know, the best thing that I've realized for myself is that I can't be everything for everyone unless I am everything healthy and strong for myself. One thing I've learned over the past years is that success is not about never falling off track. And I forgot that. And I'm here to remind you that it's gonna happen to you. It's gonna happen to me. But success, it's all about returning, returning to your commitment. You know, missing one workout, missing um something that you were working on, missing a meeting, missing a commitment, right? Is not that you are bad, unhealthy, or whatever your brain is spiraling to tell you. Missing one week of recording this podcast doesn't make me a failure. Having a difficult season doesn't erase years of progress for you and me. What matters is what happens next. So do you stay down or do you get back up? Not perfectly, not all at once, just one step at a time. You know, don't swing the pendulum, my friend. Here's another mistake that many of us make. We rest, then we panic, then we try to make up for lost time. We overcommit, we overwork, we overdo it, and before we know it, we're right back where we started. Recovery isn't about sprinting back to what you were doing, it's about restart, it's about returning sustainably, giving yourself permission to rebuild momentum without, well, punishing yourself for being human. You know, your value does not declare or decrease because, well, you need it rest. Your worth is not measured by how productive you are, and taking care of your health is not falling behind, it's protecting your future. So here's your brave move, my friend. Ask yourself, what is my body asking of me right now? More sleep, more movement, more water, more boundaries, more rest. Then honor and do it without guilt. Because the goal isn't to run yourself into the ground. The goal is to build a life that you can actually sustain. And my friends, sometimes the bravest move isn't pushing harder. Sometimes the bravest move is slowing down long enough to heal. Because you cannot pour from an empty cup, and you cannot build a meaningful life if you sacrifice your health in the process. Take care of yourself, rest when you need to, and when you're ready to get back on the wagon one step at a time, and that is your brave move.