Rest Without Regret: Healing, FOMO & Finding Presence in Switzerland

This week on Growing Tall Poppies, I’m coming to you from breathtaking Interlaken, Switzerland — where the mountains meet the lake, and the stillness invites deep reflection.

The past few days have been about rest, recovery, and gentle exploration as my daughter continues to heal after falling seriously ill on our Europe trip. Thankfully, she’s feeling a little better each day — but like her mother, she has FOMO (fear of missing out) and doesn’t want to miss a single moment.

This got me thinking about the tension so many of us feel during healing — the pull between wanting to experience everything life offers and the need to slow down to truly recover.

In this heartfelt episode, I share:

• 🌄 The life and healing lessons I’ve learned from Switzerland’s lakes and mountains
• 💡 Why FOMO often intensifies for people in Post-Traumatic Growth
• 🛑 How to shift from “fear of missing out” to the “joy of missing out” 
• 💤 Practical strategies for resting without guilt and still feeling fulfilled
• ❤️ The importance of presence and small, intentional moments in your healing journey

If you’ve ever struggled with slowing down — or felt like you were missing out while trying to heal — this episode will help you see rest as a gift, not a sacrifice.

🎧 Tune in and learn how to balance adventure and recovery so you can heal without regret.

If this episode resonates with you then I'd love for you to hit SUBSCRIBE so you can keep updated with each new episode as soon as it's released and we'd be most grateful if you would give us a RATING as well. You can also find me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drnatgreen/ or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrNatalieGreen

Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

Transcript

Dr Nat Green: 0:01

Welcome to the Growing Tall Poppies Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Nat Green, and I'm so excited to have you join me as we discuss what it means to navigate your way through post-traumatic growth and not just survive, but to thrive after trauma. Through our podcast, we will explore ways for you to create a life filled with greater purpose, self-awareness, and a deep inner peace. Through integrating the many years of knowledge and professional experience, as well as the wisdom of those who have experienced trauma firsthand. We'll combine psychology accelerated approaches. Coaching and personal experience to assist you, to learn, to grow and to thrive. I hope to empower you to create deeper awareness and understanding and stronger connections with yourself and with others, whilst also paving the way for those who have experienced trauma and adversity to reduce their suffering and become the very best versions of themselves. In order to thrive. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. Hello, beautiful humans and welcome back to Growing Tall Poppies. This week i'm checking in again and sharing a raw, real update from my family trip across Europe. I'm coming to you from Switzerland, specifically at a beautiful place near Interlaken And if you wanted to check out the scenery, check out the YouTube channel and you can actually see the video where I'm sitting on my balcony. To record this week's episode overlooking the lake where the lake meets the mountains. Oh my God. It is stunning where the lakes are turquoise and crystal blue. In some parts, the mountains rise almost like ancient guardians surrounding us and letting us know they are there and we are safe, and life moves at a pace. That makes you want to exhale, just that little bit deeper. It's the kind of scenery that makes you wanna bottle it up and carry it home because you just. Have to find somewhere in your memory to store it because the photos will never ever do it justice. Imagine those turquoise, beautiful bluey greeny lakes where the mountain meets the sea. That's exactly what we're doing right here from our balcony. it's been a journey full of beauty and unexpected challenges. As you know, there've been a few hiccups. We started off really well and having the family trip of a lifetime, and we hit some hurdles with my daughter becoming extremely unwell and ending up. With life-threatening situation, needing to present to a university hospital. Thank goodness for them in Zurich, who were absolutely amazing. So thankfully this was already planned in our agenda. We've been here for two days now, soaking in the views, resting and letting our bodies and minds recalibrate, Giving ourselves the space to rest, recover, and rejuvenate, especially as our gorgeous girl, Maddie continues to heal from being so unwell, thank you so, so much for your beautiful messages of love, support, and well wishes. For her good health and for shouting out that you are also putting us in your thoughts and prayers. So the good news is she's slowly starting to feel a little bit better each day. And I'm sure that being surrounded by the mountains and the beauty of this place has been a huge part in that improvement. The challenge. She's just like her mum. I realize that she's also even more like her mother than I already thought. She has FOMO, absolutely fear of missing out, and she doesn't wanna miss a single moment, and that's what I wanna talk about today. That tension between wanting to experience everything absolutely every minute of every day, and giving ourselves permission to slow down. Especially when we are in that post-traumatic growth phase where the pull to seize life can be so, so strong. We're finally, since coming to Interlaken and had the chance to exhale. To stop rushing from one thing to the next, to sit by the lake, a beautiful lake overlooking the mountains and exhale and just be, what a gift. And here's the truth. Slowing down doesn't come naturally to me. And I know to many of you, and I see the same in my daughter, there's this inner voice saying. You are here, you should be doing more. You are wasting precious time. Sound familiar? If you've been through trauma, you might know this urge to pack life in as tightly as possible. It's almost as if after surviving something hard, we feel this need to make up for lost time to overdo, to grab hold of every opportunity, and while that drive can be beautiful. It can also be absolutely downright exhausting. And here's the paradox that post-traumatic growth often brings with it this hunger for life. The desire to embrace everything, to make the most of every single day, but without balance, that same hunger can drain us. Absolutely. Leave us exhausted and spent. Rest feels like losing time. We think I'm not doing enough, I'm missing out. But the truth is, rest isn't a detour from growth. It's actually a key part of it. Without giving our bodies and our minds time to replenish, we're not actually moving forward at all. We're just pushing harder and harder until we burn out. And here's something that I've been reminding myself. Sometimes the missed moments aren't really missed at all because while we might not be ticking off every sightseeing spot, we're gaining something else-presence. Look at that beautiful mountain and lake. If I hadn't taken the time to sit and rest, I would've missed the opportunity to sit, take in all its beauty and find that inner peace, the ability to really absorb the moments that we do have. So how do we rest without regret? How do we quiet that FOMO voice and lean into our slower pace? Here are a few things I'm practicing right now and I thought, share them with you'cause you might wanna try them too. Firstly, let's find those micro moments of presence. You don't have to do everything to feel like you've experienced a place. Or a day or even an hour, choose one small moment to fully inhabit, to really live in that moment. For me, it's been sipping coffee by the lake and feeling the warmth of the air and the sunshine on my skin. For you, it might be sitting quietly with a cup of tea or noticing the colors in the sunset. Two rest rituals. Create a small practice that signals to your body it's okay to slow down. That might be journaling by the window, soaking up a little bit of sun in a corner, reading in bed before sleep, or doing a few deep breaths before a mirror. When you catch yourself thinking, I should be doing more, I want you to flip the script. It's number 3., pause and ask, what do I truly need right now? That one question can change everything, and 4., celebrate the NOW instead of focusing on what you didn't do. Name one thing you're grateful for in this moment. Gratitude grounds us in presence and helps shift the focus from scarcity to abundance. So when we first arrived here, I had every intention of exploring ticking off every must see item on my bucket list. I mean, how often do you get to stand between a mountain, a lake, and with snow dusted mountains off in the distance? In every direction. Here's the thing, our bodies had other plans my daughter needed time to heal and I needed time to just breathe and learn how to be so instead of running around like a travel show host, on Fast Forward, we found ourselves sitting by the lake, diving in for a beautiful, refreshing swim'cause. Oh, we've come at a time where it is so hot this year, not what we expected over here in Switzerland. we took slow walks through the village and we've had a couple of coffees and actually stopped a bit and allowed ourselves to just be, and if you know me, that is saying something. Even in that calm, that part of me was whispering, you're missing things, you should be doing more. That whisper, that's FOMO. Fear of missing out, and it's not just about events or experiences for trauma survivors. It truly can run so much deeper. Post-traumatic growth isn't just about doing all the things because we know life is short. In fact, sometimes that urgency to cram life full is a leftover, surviving mechanism. It's our nervous systems way of saying, don't waste time. Keep moving, keep experiencing, don't stop. Whatever you do, don't stop. But true growth after trauma often means learning to pause without the panic in Interlaken, I was reminded of three important truths. 1. rest is not wasted time. Our bodies and minds are in recovery mode, whether from illness, trauma, which is life itself, rest is the work. It's the fertile soil that allows growth to really take root, to take hold and spurt forward. And 2., you can't do it all, and that's okay. Sometimes we have to choose depth over breadth sitting by the lake talking, sitting with each other, gave me more joy than any rushed sight seeing could. In FOMO 3., FOMO can be a teacher. It can show us when we're afraid of missing life because deep down, we remember the days when life fell out of reach. And in those moments we get to gently remind ourselves life is happening. Right here, right now. If you are listening and you know that that voice saying you should be doing more, here are a few strategies that I've been leaning into this week. 1., Redefine Enough. Ask yourself what would feel nourishing right now instead of what's on the list? What's next on the list? Swap achievement for alignment 2.. Practice slow joy. Pick one simple thing like sipping coffee, watching the sunset or lying in the grass, and we did that in Paris. Just lay on the grass. It was amazing. Give it in full attention. You might be surprised just how much joy is packed into stillness. 3. check the story behind your FOMO. Is it coming from genuine desire or from fear that you'll fall behind or miss your chance? If it's fear driven, then pause. Fear doesn't get to drive your bus anymore. And 4., remember, your body's needs matter too. We can't heal or truly enjoy life if we are pushing through and past exhaustion. Your body is your most honest travel guide, so listen to it. so Interlaken has brought much joy and a lot of reflection time and reminded me that slowing down isn't missing out. It's opening up. It's opening yourself up to the opportunities. The mountains. Don't rush, the lake doesn't hurry. And when we align ourselves with that pace, we stop chasing life and actually start living it. Experiencing it and learning how to be and be present. So here's my takeaway from Interlaken. Sometimes the most breathtaking moments aren't the ones you plan for. They're the ones when you are sitting still present, being grateful and aware that you are healing. Not in the I've done it all way, but in the, I'm okay right here, right now. So if you are in a season where rest feels impossible or you're beating yourself up for not doing enough, where rest feels like you are missing out. let this be your permission slip rest isn't wasted time. It's actually the space where healing happens. And I can absolutely tell you from my lived experience this last week. Just two days of being able to do that has been the greatest gift. I feel so much more relaxed and have inner peace. like, I dunno, that I've had for a very long time. You are preparing for the next chapter of your growth, and maybe that's the real beauty of unplanned paths and life's detours. Thank you so much for joining me here in Switzerland for this little reflection. I would love to hear from you, how do you navigate the balance between rest and that fear of missing out. Come share your thoughts over on Instagram at Dr. Nat Green. And remember, you are a human being, not a human doing. So give yourself the gift of presence this week. You might just find that it's the most meaningful adventure of all. So that's about it from me. If today's episode resonated with you, share it with someone who's also learning to balance rest. FOMO and the urge to do it all. And if you haven't already, hit follow, so you don't miss next week's episode. Until then, keep growing, keep resting, and keep choosing what truly matters to you. Until next time, take care, rest well and just be, and of course keep growing tall. Bye for now. Thank you for joining me in this episode of Growing Tall Poppies. It is my deepest hope that today's episode may have inspired and empowered you to step fully into your post-traumatic growth, so that you can have absolute clarity around who you are, what matters the most to you, and to assist you to release your negative emotions. And regulate your nervous system so you can fully thrive. New episodes are published every Tuesday, and I hope you'll continue to join us as we explore both the strategies and the personal qualities required to fully live a life of post-traumatic growth and to thrive. So if it feels aligned to you and really resonates, then I invite you to hit subscribe and it would mean the world to us. If you could share this episode with others who you feel may benefit too, you may also find me on Instagram at Growing Tall Poppies and Facebook, Dr. Natalie Green. Remember, every moment is an opportunity to look for the lessons and to learn and increase your ability to live the life you desire and deserve. So for now, stay connected. Stay inspired. Stand tall like the tall poppy you are, and keep shining your light brightly in the world. Bye for.