The Art of Rest: Why Taking a Break Isn't Weakness – It's Wisdom

I'm writing this from Florence, Italy – and I'll be honest, it feels strange to step away from the daily rhythm of Evexia Kos and Retreats In Greece. Strange, but absolutely necessary.

If you've been following our journey, you know I'm passionate about wellness, transformation, and creating spaces for others to heal and grow. But here's what I'm learning (re-learning, really): you cannot pour from an empty cup.

And my cup? It was running dangerously low.

When Did Rest Become Something We Have to Earn?

Somewhere along the way, we've been taught that rest is a reward for productivity. That taking time off requires justification. That stepping back means you're not committed enough.

But here's the truth: rest isn't the opposite of work. It's the foundation that makes meaningful work possible.

I spend my days helping others plan transformative retreats, guiding people toward the healing they need, and building businesses that serve wellness and connection. It's work I love deeply. But even work you love can drain you if you never pause to refill.

So I made a decision: to practice what I preach. To take a proper break. To be a tourist in my own life.

Athens: Where Legends Meet Ancient Glory

My break began with something completely unexpected – a trip to Athens with friends to see Robbie Williams in concert. And not just any concert: Robbie Williams at the Panathenaic Stadium.

If you've never been, the Panathenaic Stadium is where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. It's entirely made of marble – gleaming white, ancient, breathtaking. Standing there as the sun set and the music began, I felt something shift inside me.

This wasn't a sterile arena in the UK with corporate branding and overpriced drinks. This was history. This was art meeting antiquity. Robbie was absolutely electric – honestly, the best concert I've ever been to – but it was the place that made it transcendent.

There's something about experiencing joy in a space that's witnessed thousands of years of human triumph, struggle, and celebration. It reminded me why I fell in love with Greece in the first place.

Becoming a Tourist in My Own Backyard

After Athens, my parents came to visit Kos. And instead of working through their stay (which, let's be honest, I've done before), I made a conscious choice: I would be present.

We did the things tourists do – the things I rarely make time for despite living here. We visited the Hippocratic Foundation, where the father of modern medicine once taught. We explored the Asklepion, the ancient healing temple perched on a hillside overlooking the sea.

Walking through the Asklepion – where people travelled centuries ago seeking healing, just as they do now for our retreats – I felt a profound connection to the work we do. The ancient Greeks understood something we're only just remembering: that healing isn't just physical. It's spiritual, emotional, environmental.

They built their healing temples in places of natural beauty, surrounded by sacred groves and springs. They knew that place matters. That rest matters. That the body heals when the soul is at peace.

Being a tourist reminded me why I moved here. When you live somewhere, it's easy to become complacent – to stop seeing the magic because it's become ordinary. But there's nothing ordinary about Kos. Nothing ordinary about Greece. And I needed that reminder.

Florence: A Love Letter to Travel

And now? I'm in Florence with my husband. A dream-come-true trip.

As much as I love Greece (and I do, deeply), I also love the Mediterranean. I love travelling. It's in my soul – always has been. From my years in the army to building a life in Kos to creating retreat experiences across Greece, movement has always been part of who I am.

Florence is art and history and cobblestone streets and espresso that tastes like velvet. It's Michelangelo's David and the Duomo and golden light spilling over the Arno River. It's different from Greece, but it shares that same Mediterranean soul – beauty, history, passion, life lived fully.

I'll share more about our Italian adventure next week after I've returned. But for now, I'm simply here. Present. Resting. Refilling.

The Permission You're Waiting For

Here's what I want you to know: you don't need permission to rest. But if you're waiting for it, consider this your sign.

Rest isn't selfish. It's not lazy. It's not something you have to earn through exhaustion.

Rest is:

• Strategic – it sharpens your focus and creativity

• Essential – your body and mind require it to function

• Radical – in a culture that glorifies burnout, choosing rest is rebellion

• Transformative – it's in the pauses that clarity emerges

  
  

Whether it's a concert in an ancient stadium, a day playing tourist in your own town, or a dream trip you've been postponing – take the break.

What Rest Teaches Us

Stepping away from Evexia Kos and Retreats In Greece these past weeks has taught me something crucial: the businesses don't fall apart without me. The world keeps turning. And when I return, I'll return better – clearer, more creative, more aligned with why I started this work in the first place.

Rest realigns your focus. It reminds you what matters. It shows you what you've been too busy to see.

And honestly? If I'm going to keep creating transformative experiences for others, I need to experience transformation myself. I need to practice what I preach. I need to honour the same wisdom I share with retreat guests: that healing requires rest, and rest requires permission – permission you give yourself.

Your Invitation

So here's my question for you: when was the last time you truly rested?

Not collapsed-in-exhaustion rest. Not scrolling-your-phone-because-you're-too-tired-to-move rest. But intentional, nourishing, soul-filling rest?

Maybe it's a weekend away. Maybe it's a retreat (we can help with that 😉). Maybe it's simply saying no to one thing so you can say yes to yourself.

Whatever it looks like for you, I hope you'll give yourself permission. Because you deserve it. Not because you've earned it through productivity, but simply because you are human, and humans need rest.

I'll be back next week with stories from Florence and a renewed commitment to the work we do. But for now, I'm practising the art of rest – and I hope you will too.

💙

With love from Florence,

Gilly

Evexia (Kos)

www.evexia-kos.com

P.S. If you're feeling the call to take a proper break – the kind that actually restores you – we'd love to help you plan a retreat that serves your soul. Reply to this email and let's talk about what rest looks like for you.