Showing Up Doesn’t Always Look Productive
There’s a version of “showing up” that the world celebrates.
The outward kind. The visible kind. The kind that can be measured, posted, or praised.
And sometimes, yes, we do need to show up outwardly.
But that is not the only kind that matters.
Sometimes the most honest way to show up is inward.
It’s choosing rest when your body says no.
It’s listening when something inside you tightens instead of pushing through out of habit.
It’s honoring what you actually need, even when it doesn’t look impressive.
This kind of showing up rarely gets applause… but it’s often the kind that changes everything.
When Your Mind Says Yes and Your Body Says No
This has been a lifelong lesson for me.
There have been many moments when my mind said yes out of obligation, expectation, or momentum… while my body was clearly saying no. Tightening. Constricting. Closing.
Over time, I’ve learned that this physical response isn’t weakness or avoidance. It’s information.
Listening to your body doesn’t mean you never do hard things. Life still asks us to stretch and show up in uncomfortable ways.
But many of us were trained to override ourselves so consistently that we stopped trusting our own signals. Showing up inwardly often begins with rebuilding that trust.
It’s learning to pause.
To notice.
To let your inner guidance lead, one day at a time.
Rest Without Guilt Is a Skill
Especially for those who carry a lot of responsibility.
Resting without guilt doesn’t come naturally to many of us. Even when we stop, our nervous system keeps going. We rest, but we don’t soften. We pause, but we don’t receive.
And yet, choosing rest when you need it is one of the truest forms of self-care.
Not because rest is indulgent.
Because rest is regulating.
And regulation creates clarity.
Sometimes showing up looks like taking a day off from what your most productive self thinks you should do. Sometimes it looks like saying “not today” and letting that be enough…because it is…because You Are.