The Healing Power of Doing Absolutely Nothing—Intentionally

How One Day of Rest Can Reset Your Energy, Emotions, and Entire Outlook

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your health… was nothing?
Not the kind of “nothing” where guilt creeps in. But real, restorative nothing—intentional, unplugged, unbothered.

Have you ever truly disconnected—not just turned off your phone but quieted the part of you that’s always scanning?
For what’s next. Who needs you. What you’re missing. What crisis might unfold while you’re taking a breath.

For most women over 45—especially those who lead, care, and carry the emotional weight of households or communities—this is the invisible current that never shuts off.
We pour into everyone else until our bodies whisper—or scream—for relief.

But science is beginning to catch up to what many of us already feel: without intentional, experiential downtime, the body and mind begin to fray.

Downtime Isn’t Lazy—It’s Biological Healing

Modern neuroscience shows that rest isn't wasted time—it’s when some of our brain's most important processing happens.
During intentional rest, the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) becomes active. This network, linked to self-awareness, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation, helps us make sense of our lives.

Research published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience highlights how downtime enhances creativity, problem-solving, and social cognition—functions that are often compromised when we are chronically busy or overstimulated.

In a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers found that short breaks of just 5 to 10 minutes significantly reduced fatigue and improved cognitive performance—even among highly stressed individuals. Another study in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology confirmed that “micro-breaks” throughout the day protected against burnout and mental exhaustion.

For women in midlife, this is especially critical.
The hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause affect everything from sleep and energy to mood and metabolism. According to the North American Menopause Society, chronic stress worsens menopause symptoms—from hot flashes and night sweats to anxiety and brain fog—by disrupting the delicate balance of cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone.

And yet, slowing down is not encouraged in our culture.
Even our rest is performative: a yoga class we rush to, a vacation we overschedule, a nap we feel guilty about.

We need a different model. One rooted in awareness and permission.

One Day Can Change Everything

As someone who served in the military for over 30 years and now coaching veteran women through lifestyle change, I’ve come to believe this truth: Intentional rest is an act of leadership.
Not running away from responsibility—but reclaiming energy before depletion becomes disease. Cleveland Clinic confirmed that intentional rest—downtime that allows the brain’s default mode network to activate—boosts creativity, memory, and emotional processing. In one study, veterans practicing breathing-based meditation experienced measurable reductions in PTSD symptoms after just one week. In another, micro-breaks throughout the day were shown to significantly reduce fatigue and enhance cognitive performance.

We don’t need permission from society to rest. We need it from ourselves.

And the beauty is—this doesn’t require a silent monastery or expensive escape.
You can begin anywhere:

• One breath.
• One moment without multitasking.
• One chair by a window.
• One day without digital alerts, caretaking tasks, or to-do lists.

These micro-moments of "doing nothing" have powerful ripple effects.
In one 2020 randomized controlled trial from JAMA Psychiatry, veterans who practiced 20 minutes of breathing-based meditation daily showed significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression—within just 7 days. Their sleep and stress resilience also improved.

When Women Pause, Families Heal

There is a cultural myth that rest is selfish—that if you’re not producing or caregiving, you’re somehow failing.
But healing is contagious. When women regulate their nervous systems, they help regulate the emotional climate of their families, their workplaces, and their communities.

The takeaway? Downtime isn’t a luxury. It’s a biological reset.

And yet most of us struggle to create it. Even when we do carve out time, we fill it with tasks. Laundry. Errands. Catching up.
Or worse — guilt for not doing enough. We’ve confused busyness with worth, and performance with purpose.

That’s why experiential downtime matters. It creates conditions for your nervous system to recover. Your hormones to rebalance. Your identity to breathe.

Just for one day.
A full day without reacting, fixing, or sacrificing.
A day to practice presence. A day to listen—to your breath, your fatigue, your longings.

That’s not luxury. That’s survival strategy.

So, if your body is whispering for a pause—or your mind is racing ahead to the next emergency—you’re not broken.
You’re just overdue for nothing.

Not forever. Not irresponsibly. Just… purposefully.

Because doing absolutely nothing, on purpose, might be the most powerful reset you give yourself this year.

Ready to Reclaim Your Reset?

If your body is whispering for a pause—or your mind is running on overdrive—you’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out by yourself. Join us for a retreat day that isn’t about doing more. It’s about reconnecting with the power of being.

Explore the retreat experience and reserve your space. You deserve this day.