Settling, Guilt About Rest & What We Learned Together in November
November’s NEURONOURISH theme was Settling, and the conversations that unfolded were so honest and human that I’ve been thinking about them ever since.
What surprised me most was how many of us quietly struggle with the same thing: feeling guilty about resting.
Almost everyone in the group mentioned it in some way. Even when they were overwhelmed… even when they knew they needed a break… even when their body was clearly saying “please just stop for a moment” - the guilt still crept in.
And it wasn’t dramatic guilt, either. More that quiet, persistent voice saying “Shouldn’t I be doing something…?”
If that’s familiar, you’re in good company.
Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing you can do
What we explored together
Over the three sessions we naturally drifted through a few themes:
How settling actually works in the body - why the brain finds it hard to slow down when there’s a lot on your plate.
The patterns that get in the way - habits, old beliefs, family expectations, perfectionism… all the things we rarely stop to question.
The usefulness of tiny pauses - those 1little pockets of calm that reset your nervous system more than you’d expect.
And the big one: how to notice the guilt, name it, and let it soften rather than letting it run the show.
People shared stories about rushing, responsibility, work pressure, caring roles, and the simple difficulty of switching off. And yet each week, as we settled into our guided visualisation at the end, you could almost feel the group exhale.
There’s something powerful about slowing down in a room (even a Zoom room) with other people doing the same.
Why I’m sharing this
Because if you weren’t part of November, I want you to know that NEURONOURISH is not a place where you have to arrive calm, sorted or zen.
It’s a place where real people show up with real lives, and we explore what’s actually working - and what isn’t - with kindness, science, and a good dose of honesty.
Which leads me nicely into December…
Coming Up: The DECEMBER Sparkle Series ✨
After a month of softening and slowing, December is our moment to gently lift things again.
Not glitter for glitter’s sake, just a little more lightness. A sprinkle of magic - a bit of fairy dust.
The Sparkle series is all about those small, alive-feeling moments that get buried under winter routines: a sense of play, tiny hits of joy, things that wake you up a bit inside.
We’ll explore:
how awe and surprise affect the brain
how to find energy when the days are shorter
how to reconnect with what actually feels good
and how to end the year feeling a bit more “you” again
Exactly the same relaxed structure as usual: We meet on Zoom
a short science bit → a chat → a visualisation → a moment to reflect.
No pressure. No expectations. Just a warm, steady place to land each week.
If you’d like to join us in December, you’re very welcome - whether you’ve been part of this from the start or you’re completely new. The door’s always open. All you need is a NOURISH subscription which is £8.95/month and includes all the sessions - 3 in December. Cancel anytime.
