The Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Health

No, the answer is not rescuing a kitty. But if you know me well, you might suspect I’d say that rescuing a kitty is the second most important thing you can do for your health. All purring aside…

The real answer is rest.

We live in a society that celebrates pushing through, working harder, and skipping vacation time. Productivity is praised, exhaustion is normalized, and rest is often treated like a luxury instead of a necessity. As a result, rest has become incredibly undervalued. In my experience, a lack of rest often leads to ongoing pain, persistent stress symptoms, and a body that never quite gets the chance to recover.

So what actually happens when we rest?

When the body is at rest, blood flow increases, allowing nutrients and oxygen to reach tissues that need repair. Growth hormones are released to help rebuild and restore the body. Stress hormones decrease, and the nervous system shifts into a state of recovery and healing.

Think about strength training as an example. When you lift weights, you’re actually breaking down old muscle fibers. That night, while you sleep, your body repairs those fibers and builds them back stronger. But if you don’t sleep well and return to training the next day, your muscles haven’t fully recovered—and you’re more likely to strain or injure them.

Rest is not laziness. It’s biology.

The good news is that you can choose to embrace rest—even while the rest of society continues to avoid it.

1. Cap your day.Create a clear boundary for when your workday ends and commit to honoring it. If you’re employed, your hours may be set by your workplace—but if you’re consistently being asked to go beyond them, it’s reasonable to respectfully protect your time. If you’re self-employed, this can be even trickier, since the boundaries are entirely self-created. For those navigating that challenge, Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis is an excellent read about building a sustainable business that allows space for rest and balance.

2. Say no.Overscheduling and overcommitting are incredibly common. The problem is that when people stretch themselves too thin, they often can’t bring their best selves to what they’ve promised. Saying no can actually be a gift—to yourself and to others—because it allows you to show up fully where you do commit your time and energy.

3. Get acupuncture.During a typical acupuncture session with me, patients rest for about 35–40 minutes. The acupuncture needles help signal the body to shift into that deep restorative state, which is why so much healing can occur during a treatment. By the end of the session, people often feel calmer, clearer, and more physically at ease—making it much easier to return to the rest of the day feeling restored rather than depleted.

In a world that constantly encourages us to do more, rest may be one of the most powerful forms of self-care we have. And the more we allow ourselves to rest, the better equipped our bodies are to heal, recover, and thrive. Though the Year of the Horse is about momentum, horses also need a rest.