Written by Lisa Edmondson – Women‘s Hormone & Health Lead, Nurse, Master Health Coach
For many women, the idea of rest feels like a luxury — something to be earned, justified, or squeezed in between everyone else’s needs.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that our worth is tied to productivity, that slowing down is lazy, and that caring for ourselves somehow takes away from caring for others.
But here’s the truth: rest is not indulgent — it’s essential.
When we don’t allow ourselves to rest, our bodies and hormones pay the price.
The Modern Woman’s Double Shift
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mum or juggling work outside the home, the expectation is often the same — that women should hold it all together.
If you’re home with the children, you’re told you “don’t really work.”
If you’re employed, you’re expected to come home and still manage the house, the meals, the washing, the bedtime routines, and the emotional load of everyone else.
But let’s get one thing straight: when a decision is made to have children, that care and responsibility belongs to both parents.
Motherhood does not come with a clause that says you must sacrifice your health, identity, or sanity to be a “good mum.”
You are not the family’s entire energy source — you are part of a team.
Stay-at-Home Mums Deserve Holidays Too
If you’re a stay-at-home mum, you’re not “just at home.” You are running a full-scale operation — managing schedules, meals, cleaning, emotional regulation, education, and logistics, often on minimal rest.
Like anyone working full-time, you deserve holidays, breaks, and time away to rest and recharge.
You are doing work — it’s simply unpaid, unseen, and often undervalued by society.
Resting doesn’t make you lazy. It makes you sustainable.
When you rest, your cortisol levels lower, your hormones rebalance, your patience returns, and your sense of self strengthens. When you push through exhaustion day after day, your body eventually pushes back — often through burnout, hormonal imbalance, anxiety, or adrenal fatigue.
The Guilt That Keeps Women Exhausted
Women are experts at feeling guilty for doing anything that feels “for themselves.”
A coffee alone. A weekend away. A yoga class. A nap.
That voice that whispers, “You should be doing something more productive” is not intuition — it’s conditioning.
It’s the echo of generations of women who were taught that self-sacrifice is love.
But true love — for your family, your partner, and yourself — comes from wholeness, not depletion.
When you care for yourself, you show your children what healthy boundaries and self-worth look like. You model balance, not burnout.
Listening to the Body’s Call for Rest
Your body speaks to you — in fatigue, in tension, in irritability, in tears that come too easily, in headaches, in disrupted sleep.
These aren’t weaknesses. They’re signals.
Your hormones are profoundly affected by stress and exhaustion. When you don’t rest:
- Cortisol rises and stays high.
- Progesterone and estrogen become imbalanced.
- Thyroid function can slow.
- Mood, metabolism, and sleep all suffer.
Resting, relaxing, and allowing stillness isn’t doing nothing — it’s giving your body the chance to heal and regulate itself.
Let Go of the Guilt, Embrace the Balance
You were never meant to do it all.
You were meant to live, love, and thrive — not just survive the day.
So take the nap. Say no to one more commitment. Ask for help. Book the weekend away.
Not because you’ve earned it, but because you deserve it.
When women reclaim the right to rest, we don’t just heal ourselves — we change what the next generation believes is possible.
How Global Health Can Help
At Global Health, we understand the deep connection between rest, hormones, and wellbeing.
Our team supports women in recognising the signs of burnout and hormone imbalance — and helps them restore balance through rest, nourishment, and self-care strategies that truly work.
Lisa Edmondson, Women’s Hormone and Health Lead, Nurse, and Master Health Coach, works alongside women to help them tune into their bodies, release the guilt around self-care, and rebuild health from the inside out.
If you’re feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or constantly running on empty, it’s time to pause — and let your body exhale.
Reach out to Global Health to start your journey back to balance, energy, and calm.
About Global Health
Located in Takapuna, Auckland, Global Health offers holistic, evidence-based care that supports women through all stages of life. Our practitioners blend medical insight with natural approaches to help you find balance in your hormones, your health, and your life.
Book your consultation today
(09) 488 0208
www.globalhealthclinics.co.nz
409 Lake Road, Takapuna, Auckland