Rest Is Not a Reward. It’s Repair.

Posted byHelen MoonPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , , , , ,

Confex week is a lot.

The noise.
The lights.
The conversations.
The micro-interactions.
The “just one more thing before I leave.”

For many people working in events, the week doesn’t just take physical energy – it takes nervous system energy, and here’s something we don’t talk about enough:

If you are already exhausted, what you’re doing right now isn’t “rest.” – It’s recovery.

There is a difference. Rest is preventative and recovery is repair.

Rest is what we build into our lives before depletion happens, and recovery is what we have to do when we’ve already gone past our capacity.

And the events industry? It’s very good at pushing people past capacity.

We normalise long days.
We celebrate resilience.
We wear exhaustion like a badge of honour.

But a wired, over-stimulated, socially saturated nervous system doesn’t respond to grit.
It responds to safety.

So if you’re on the sofa this weekend…
If you’ve cancelled plans…
If you can’t quite find the words…
If your brain feels foggy or your body feels heavy…

You’re not being lazy, you’re recalibrating.

For neurodivergent nervous systems in particular, recovery after large-scale events can take longer. Crowds, noise, navigation demands, constant switching of attention – they all add up.

And here’s the important part:
Needing recovery doesn’t mean you’re not good at your job. It means your system worked hard.

Recovery might look like:

  • Silence instead of podcasts
  • Gentle movement instead of workouts
  • Early nights
  • Low-demand TV
  • Time outside
  • Not replying to emails immediately
  • Eating properly
  • Drinking more water than coffee

It might look unproductive, but it’s not. Recovery is the work that allows you to come back.

At EventWell, we talk a lot about regulation during events, but what happens after events matters just as much. If we want a sustainable events industry, we have to normalise recovery – not just endurance.

So this weekend, I hope you’re doing less. I hope you’re letting your system settle, and I hope you’re giving yourself permission to repair.

Because rest, when you’re already tired, is recovery, and recovery is not weakness… it’s wisdom.

Published by Helen Moon

Helen Moon is the neurodivergent powerhouse behind EventWell – the award-winning not-for-profit championing neuroinclusion and mental wellbeing in the events industry. With nearly 30 years' experience across hotels, venues, suppliers, and freelance operations, Helen knows events inside out. Diagnosed with AuDHD and Dyslexia, she founded EventWell in 2017 to make wellbeing and inclusion the norm, not the nice-to-have. A qualified stress management and relaxation therapist with diplomas in psychology, neurodiversity and safeguarding, she blends lived experience with professional clout to drive meaningful change. Helen is also Chair of the Event Industry Alliance DEI Working Group and a respected voice in event accessibility – an advocate, educator, and disruptor on a mission to rewire the way the industry thinks about inclusion.