Give Yourself Down Time to Be Real

Have you ever felt like you’re living life on autopilot?

You wake up, check your phone, rush through the day, cross things off your to-do list, and collapse into bed. Repeat. There’s always something that needs to get done, someone who needs you, or a role you have to fill.

But let me ask you something real:

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to just be…you?

To slow down. To sit in quiet. To let yourself feel what’s really there under the surface without brushing it aside because “there’s no time for that right now.”

Today, let’s have an honest conversation about why giving ourselves downtime to be real isn’t just a luxury – it’s a lifeline.

1. Why We’re Afraid to Slow Down

If we’re honest, many of us are terrified of slowing down.

Because slowing down means feeling. It means facing the things we’ve stuffed away under busy schedules and performance-driven lives. It means sitting with uncomfortable truths, longings, or pains that we’d rather keep buried.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

• Avoidance never heals anything.
• What we bury alive always finds its way back up.
• Being busy doesn’t mean we’re strong. Sometimes it just means we’re hiding.

Slowing down makes us feel vulnerable. And vulnerability feels risky.

But vulnerability is where real connection with ourselves and with God happens.

If we never slow down, we miss out on the healing and wholeness waiting for us beneath the noise.

2. What Happens When We Finally Give Ourselves Permission to Be Real

Imagine this:

You sit on your bed, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. No music. No sermon. No podcast. Just you and God.

At first, your mind races with everything you “should” be doing. But as you breathe, something softer emerges.

Maybe it’s sadness you didn’t know was there. Maybe it’s exhaustion. Maybe it’s relief to finally stop performing.

When we give ourselves downtime to be real, we start to notice:

• Where we’re hurting
• What we’re craving
• What we’re pretending is okay…but isn’t

And here’s the beautiful thing: God meets us there.

He isn’t asking us to keep it together. He’s inviting us to come undone in His presence so He can remind us who we really are.

3. Science Says Your Brain Needs Downtime

Let’s talk science for a second.

Our brains have something called the Default Mode Network (DMN). This is the part of your brain that activates when you’re at rest, daydreaming, or reflecting.

Studies show that when we never allow downtime, our DMN doesn’t activate properly, leading to:

• Increased anxiety
• Decreased creativity
• Difficulty with memory and focus

When you give yourself quiet, unstructured time, your brain processes emotions, integrates memories, and finds creative solutions to problems.

In other words, downtime isn’t wasted time. It’s repair time.

It’s like hitting “refresh” on your mental, emotional, and spiritual browser.

So next time you feel guilty for resting, remember: science agrees with God on this one. You were created to rest.

4. Being Real Takes Practice

If being real feels hard for you, you’re not alone.

Many of us grew up learning to be whoever people needed us to be. We learned that honesty could lead to rejection. We learned that emotions were “too much.”

But you know what? Being real is a practice.

It starts with:

• Taking five minutes to journal what you’re actually feeling.
• Pausing before answering “How are you?” to answer honestly (even if only to yourself).
• Letting yourself cry without explaining it away.

The more you practice being real with yourself, the more you’ll find the courage to be real with others.

And that’s where intimacy, connection, and healing begin.

5. The Spiritual Invitation to Be Still and Know

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

We often rush past this verse. But notice the order:

First – Be still. Then – Know that I am God.

Stillness creates space to know Him.

If we never stop moving, we fill our lives with noise that drowns out His gentle voice reminding us:

• “You’re loved even when you’re not producing.”
• “You’re safe even when you’re not in control.”
• “You’re Mine even when you feel lost.”

Friend, what if you gave yourself permission today to slow down…just enough to hear Him whisper those words?

6. What Happens If We Don’t?

If we keep going without giving ourselves downtime to be real, here’s what happens:

• We burn out.
• We live disconnected from ourselves and others.
• We lose touch with what we actually want or need.
• We become resentful, bitter, or numb.

And perhaps the saddest part? We miss out on living as the person God created us to be.

Because we’re too busy being who we think we “should” be.

But life is too short to live like that.

7. Creating Moments of Downtime in Everyday Life

Downtime doesn’t have to mean an hour-long quiet time every morning (though that’s beautiful if you can do it). It can look like:

• Sitting in your parked car for five extra minutes before going inside.
• Taking a walk without your phone.
• Turning off the podcast while you do the dishes and just breathing.
• Lying on your bed with your eyes closed for ten minutes.

The point isn’t what you do. It’s creating space to check in with yourself and with God.

Ask yourself:

• How am I really feeling right now?
• What do I need today?
• What is God wanting to show me about myself or Him?

Those simple moments of realness will change your life from the inside out.

An Invitation: A Space to Be Real Without Judgement

Friend, I want to invite you to something.

If you’re longing for a place where you can show up exactly as you are – no performing, no pretending – there’s a space waiting for you.

It’s called The Purple Room.

It’s a place where you’ll feel seen, heard, and valued while connecting with others on a similar journey. Or if you just need a gentle, quiet place to be real and keep growing, there’s free access to spaces created for that too.

Because you were never meant to walk through life on autopilot.

You were meant to live awake. Alive. Real.

And you don’t have to figure out how to do it alone.

💜 You’re invited. Come as you are. And let’s learn to be real, together.