As a counselling psychologist, I’ve noticed a theme that often emerges around this time of year. By July, many of us have been running on autopilot, driven by deadlines, social obligations, and the unrelenting pace of modern life. Even when summer arrives, with its promise of longer days and warmer evenings, there’s a tendency to fill the space with more – more plans, more travel, more pressure to “make the most of it.”
How about if we approached July differently? It’s a month that, if we allow it, can teach us about the quiet, restorative power of rest.
Rest isn’t laziness. It’s not giving up. It’s a conscious act of self-care. Our minds and bodies were never designed to be in constant productivity mode. Just as nature follows cycles, we too need rhythm in our lives. Rest helps us recalibrate, process, and ultimately grow stronger.
In therapy, I often speak with clients who feel guilty when they’re not being “useful.” We explore how they have been so conditioned to measure their worth by what they produce or achieve that taking a break feels indulgent or even wrong. But what I remind them, and myself, is that rest is not a reward we have to earn. It’s a basic human need. Without it, we risk burnout, resentment, and disconnection from ourselves.
July can be an antidote to that. It’s a natural time to slow things down, and when you do you might notice that rest brings a quiet clarity. Problems that seemed overwhelming begin to feel more manageable. Creativity starts to flow again. Relationships feel easier when we’re not running on empty. In rest, we remember that we are human beings, not human doings.
So this July, I invite you to lean into rest. Not as something to “achieve,” but as something to experience. Cancel a plan if you need to. Read a book just for the joy of it. Sit in the sun with no agenda. Allow yourself to simply be.
Author: Sarah Childs
Chartered Counselling Psychologist
