Why Taking Time to Rest Doesn’t Make You Lazy

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Work. School. Chores. Homework. Activities. Child care. Appointments. Gatherings. The list goes on. Being an adult and living in our fast-paced world can feel exhausting. It might seem like you never get a chance to sit down, take a breath, and truly do nothing. But is it that there’s never a chance to unwind, or that you never allow yourself time to rest? Many people fall into an unhealthy habit of prioritizing productivity over rest, leading to negative outcomes like burnout or illness (Chattu et al., 2018). Sometimes, the belief that rest is the same as laziness is what creates and worsens this habit. In today’s blog post, we’ll discuss the importance of sleep and rest, why you may have trouble prioritizing it, and how to solve this issue.

Why do our bodies need rest? 

Everyone needs adequate sleep and rest to function properly. The body does a lot during sleep, including managing various systems and strengthening the immune system (NIH, 2022). Sleep also improves your memory and your ability to process things you learned throughout the day (Harvard Division of Sleep Medicine, 2021). 

In general, rest helps prevent burnout. Think of rest as fuel for your body when your energy gets low. If you don’t take the time to rest, your body runs on empty and will likely experience burnout. Frequent burnout can lead to various life complications, like poor mental health, physical health conditions, and even a lower mortality age (Salvagioni et al., 2017). 

Reasons why you may find it difficult to rest 

By now, you probably understand why rest is important. So why is it still so hard for you to do it regularly? Some common reasons why you might find it difficult to rest include: 

• You’re in a productivity cycle. Being so accustomed to a busy lifestyle can make it feel hard to slow down. 

• You’re a perfectionist. Instead of rest, you feel you should be spending time working toward your goals and achieving outcomes. 

• You feel uncomfortable when you’re alone with your thoughts. Giving yourself a break from physical responsibilities reminds you of the deeper issues you have avoided facing. 

• Your mind races when you aren’t doing something. When you rest and the world around you is quiet, negative thoughts and worries start to get loud.
• You don’t understand what healthy rest looks like. Whenever you rest, it feels “wrong.” Perhaps you’ve never had someone model what healthy rest looks like. 

How to prioritize rest 

• Schedule periods of rest into your daily routine. Work “rest-sessions” into your schedule the same way you would box off sections of time for an appointment or date. This will help you prioritize rest because it’s just as important as your other responsibilities! 

• Stick to a bedtime and create an atmosphere conducive to relaxation. Sometimes, the problem isn’t that you don’t allow yourself to rest—it’s that your environment isn’t fit for healthy rest. Get ready for bed at the same time every night and make sure your bedroom has a calm, relaxing vibe. You can play soft music or white noise to help lull you to sleep. Or, you can use earplugs and eye masks. These are especially helpful if you live in a noisy city or if light seeps through your windows easily. 

• Let go of limiting beliefs that you have to be productive to be worthy. This is easier said than done, but once you move past this mindset, rest becomes much less guilt-inducing. Reflect on past events or people that have reinforced the idea that productivity equals worthiness. Little by little, break down these beliefs. Journaling about your thoughts or sharing them with a trusted friend or therapist can help.

• Understand that rest is self-care and necessary. Similar to the last tip, understanding that rest is a vital part of self-care may encourage you to prioritize it. Your body physically needs rest to function, stay healthy, and thrive. If you don’t rest regularly, your body can crash and take a break abruptly (and this may not be at the best time for you). 
• Lean on others for support to alleviate the burden of responsibilities. You don’t have to walk this journey alone. Reaching out to loved ones and sharing your struggles can help take weight off your shoulders. They might be able to help with some of your responsibilities, allowing you more time to rest and unwind. Above all, social support during tough times is needed for healing and growth. 

Gentle reminders 

1. Allowing your body and mind to rest is an act of love toward yourself. 
2. Encourage yourself to rest the same way you would encourage a loved one. 
3. If you don’t rest and take breaks, your body will end up taking one anyway—on its own schedule. 

When you’re usually a productive, busy person, getting into the habit of resting and taking breaks can feel difficult or foreign at first. However, with practice and patience, you’ll find that rest becomes more a part of your daily routine—and your body will thank you for it! 

To discuss how therapy could help you during this season of your life, please contact me or schedule your free 15-minute consultation.

References:

Chattu, V. K., Manzar, M. D., Kumary, S., Burman, D., Spence, D. W., & Pandi-Perumal, S. R. (2018). The global problem of insufficient sleep and its serious public health implications. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7010001 

Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. (2021). Why sleep matters: Benefits of sleep. Harvard Medical School. https://sleep.hms.harvard.edu/education-training/public-education/sleep-and-health-education-program/sleep-health-education-41 

NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022). Why is sleep important? NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important 

Salvagioni, D. A. J., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PloS One, 12(10), e0185781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185781 

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