You Don’t Need to Earn Your Rest: A Love Letter to the Tender Overachiever

Dear tender one,

If you're reading this, there’s a good chance you're the kind of person who gives their all — to their work, their people, their dreams. You're the one who remembers birthdays, shows up early, says “I'm fine” when you're anything but.

And if you're honest, maybe you’ve been running on empty for a while now.

You know rest matters — but part of you still feels like you have to earn it. Like you have to check every box on your to-do list before you're “allowed” to slow down. Like if you stop for too long, it might all fall apart.

But here's the truth:

You are not a to-do list.

Your worth is not tied to your productivity (or lack thereof).

You don’t need to do more to be enough.

Rest isn’t lazy. It isn’t weak.

Rest is repair. Rest is resistance. Rest is productive.

Especially for the ones who care so deeply.

If that made your heart exhale a little, I made something for you.

It’s called Love, Slowly — a free printable workbook designed for the soft, slow kind of self-love we forget to give ourselves. Inside, you’ll find:

💛 Gentle journal prompts for emotional release

💛 Collage and doodle pages for messy, healing expression

💛 Affirmations that feel like a warm hug on a hard day

It’s not a self-help checklist. It’s a space to come home to yourself.

So if you’re tired — not just in your body, but in your bones — this is your permission slip.

You are allowed to pause.

You are allowed to take up space.

You are allowed to be loved, even when you're not “doing.”

With gentleness,

julie | glad you're here co.