Matt's Audio Letter of the Week

All right, hey there everyone. Welcome to this week's edition of the Feel Better Letter, or the FBL. Today, I want to talk about giving yourself permission to rest.

This comes from something I’ve been practicing in my own life for a couple of years now: taking mandatory breaks. Sometimes that just means being at home and unplugging for a certain period of time. It could be an extended weekend. Generally, every six weeks or so, I try to take some kind of break—even if it’s just one or two days off.

Once or twice a year, I take what I call an “unplug.” Now, that doesn’t mean I’m doing a full digital detox. It just means I’m not in “work mode” or the grind, trying to accomplish something. I simply allow myself to rest.

When we first do this, we often feel guilty. We feel restless. We think we shouldn’t be resting—that we should be more productive, working on our recovery, working on our job, doing something. We get caught in that endless “should, should, should” cycle.

But the reality is, rest is an essential part of recovery. Rest is vital for your health—mental, physical, and emotional. Giving yourself permission to literally just sit and do nothing is an amazing thing to learn.

This week, my family and I are on vacation. Even as I record this, I just had a very restful morning—sitting quietly, looking at the scenery, and giving myself space and time. That’s what inspired me to share this message today:

Rest is not stifling your progress. Rest is not preventing you from reaching your goals.

There’s a mentality—especially in Western culture—that prides itself on working hard, grinding constantly, and never taking breaks. But in my opinion, that’s a low-energy way of thinking. It assumes that the harder you work, the better the results. If that were true, most people would have already achieved recovery, because they’re “working” at it all day—ruminating, analyzing, and overthinking.

Recovery is not a willfully achieved state. It’s a shift in consciousness. And as you elevate your consciousness, you change your energy entirely. Rest plays a key role in that.

When you rest, the guilt you feel often rises to the surface—giving you the opportunity to either release it or push it down and go back to work. Choosing to sit and do nothing, even for a set amount of time, helps you work through that. It doesn’t need to be all day; it could be just two hours. Take a nap if you want.

Once or twice a year, I do recommend taking at least a week away from your usual routine to help reset your nervous system. But if that’s not realistic, mini-breaks work too. It can be as simple as lying down without your phone, letting your body truly rest.

And that’s my message this week: give yourself permission to rest. Short, sweet, and to the point. Honestly, I’d rather you spend the rest of the day resting than listening to this.

If this connects with you, share it with someone you care about. If you’re looking for help on your recovery journey, I’ll be back next week, ready to go.

Wishing you a great day and a restful week.