Rest Feels Like Work Sometimes And That’s Okay
There’s this fantasy people have about small business owners.
Like we sip coffee at 10 AM in sunshine-drenched studios, surrounded by product samples, fresh flowers, and unlimited inspiration.
Like we take breaks whenever we want.
Like we’re living the dream and it’s all cute.
Now let me tell you what it’s actually like for me.
I pour myself a glass of wine into my Quanafied Wine Tumbler (shoutout to my girl @ChunkyButterscotch) and I try to chill. I try to take that break everyone says I’ve needed and earned. But instead of relaxing, my brain starts spinning like a hamster in overdrive.
"You forgot to update that listing."
"Did that customer ever respond?"
"The new blanks aren’t photographed yet."
"You have to change the filaments out."
"Do inventory and find schmoney to reup on supplies or for new products to test."
It’s not rest. It’s racing thoughts with a side of Moscato.
So What Do I Do?
I grab my phone.
I FaceTime someone in the squad.
No intro. No pressure. No “how are you?” needed.
We just simply… exist. Together.
We sit in silence.
We make weird faces.
we flip eachother off for "love you's" lol
We stream and talk about nonsense while still packing orders, prepping files, or knocking out the stuff we can’t ignore.
It’s not quite a break.
But it’s not alone either.
It’s something softer in between.
It’s community care in motion.
The Work Never Ends But Neither Does the Love
Running a business isn’t just hard.
It’s heavy. It’s messy. It’s beautiful.
It’s trying to rest and feeling guilty about it.
It’s taking care of others and forgetting about yourself.
It’s laughing at 3 AM over FaceTime with someone who gets it.
That’s the kind of support no gift card can buy.
So If You’re Reading This…
And you’re deep in the guilt-rest-anxiety spiral,
Know this: You’re not lazy. You’re overloaded.
And it’s okay to pause the pressure and pick up the phone.
Even if all you do is sit there together and breathe.
You’re doing the best you can. And sometimes?
That’s more than enough.