“To the Woman Who Forgot Herself Part 4…” You Are Allowed to Rest!
This is the fourth episode of the 5-part miniseries, “To the Woman Who Forgot Herself: Come Back Home to Yourself” in the Lynda: Rooted&Real podcast.
In ‘To the Woman Who Forgot Herself Part 4’, Lynda reminds women that rest is essential, not a prize earned after everyone else is cared for. Your body and mind need pauses before exhaustion takes over.
You’re allowed to sit down, sleep in, leave messages unanswered, or spend an afternoon doing nothing useful. Rest doesn’t make you selfish, lazy, or less devoted; it gives you space to hear yourself again. Put down the guilt and reclaim your peace, because your needs deserve care too.
To the Woman Who Forgot Herself Part 4
Episode Transcript
A text version of the podcast episode with timestamps.
[00:17.65]Rooted&Real here, and this is Lynda.
[00:21.13]Our fourth episode of The Woman Who Was
Forgotten (To The Woman Who Forgot
[00:25.57]Herself) is, ‘You Are Allowed to Rest’.
[00:32.01]So, am I here?
[00:33.61]Anyway, to the woman who feels guilty
when she’s resting or when she rests.
[00:39.93]If you only rest when you’ve earned it,
‘ati’ (like) when you have finished
[00:43.85]everything, ‘ati’ (like) when
everyone is okay, You’ll never rest.
[00:50.13]You will wear exhaustion
like a badge of honour.
[00:54.25]‘Unajua kama zile za scouts’ (You
know, like the ones for the scouts)?
[00:54.75]“I’m so busy.” – “I’m so tired.”
– “I did so much today.”
[01:01.17]Because if you’re not busy, you feel lazy.
[01:04.57]If you’re not tired, you feel
like you’re not doing enough.
[01:08.85]You were taught that your
worth is in how much you do.
[01:12.41]So you keep going, even when
your body is begging you to stop.
[01:16.77]Headaches, back pain, snapping at
everyone, crying in the bathroom.
[01:21.17]That’s not just stress, love.
[01:23.33]That’s your body screaming for rest.
[01:26.69]Then when you finally sit down, your brain
says, “You should be doing laundry.” –
[01:31.69]“You should be answering that message.
[01:33.65]Get up.” ‘Hapana’ (No)!
[01:35.93]You are allowed to rest, not because
you earned it, but because you’re human.
[01:42.49]Rest is not a reward for productivity.
[01:45.41]Rest is productivity itself.
[01:48.49]It is how you heal, how you reset,
how you come back softer.
[01:54.49]You don’t have to earn rest by being
exhausted first, ‘hapana’ (no).
[01:57.89]You don’t have to justify
why you need a break.
[02:00.21]You don’t have to make it look useful.
[02:02.65]Like I’m resting so I can
be more productive later.
[02:05.17]No, no, no.
[02:06.37]You can rest just because you’re
tired, and that is enough.
[02:11.09]So today, darling, rest without guilt.
Close the door.
[02:14.45]Say no.
Take the nap, leave the dishes.
[02:17.93]Let the world keep spinning without you.
[02:20.17]Even for an hour, the house will survive.
[02:22.97]The work will wait.
[02:24.73]But you, you need this.
[02:27.81]You are allowed to rest, and
you don’t have to explain why.
[02:32.01]‘Sawa’ (Okay)?
02:51
Thu, 3 Sep, 2026
Transcript