There was a time when I believed rest was a luxury. A reward, even—something I had to earn by hitting every task on my to-do list. Sleep? Sure, but only after I cleared my inbox. A weekend off? Only if I had “been productive enough” during the week. For years, I measured my worth by output—what I achieved, completed, delivered, proved.
But the truth? That mindset burned me out. And it’s not just me. So many of us are wired to treat rest as something indulgent, optional, or—at worst—a sign of weakness. We live in a culture where hustle is praised, and busyness has become a badge of honor.
So, I started to ask myself: What if rest isn’t laziness? What if it’s self-respect?
That simple shift changed everything.
The Burnout Tipping Point
Like many people, I didn’t realize I was headed toward burnout until I was already ankle-deep in it. My body was sending signals: constant fatigue, brain fog, random irritability, and that unshakable feeling of being "behind" on life. Even on days off, I couldn’t unwind. I felt guilty resting, like I was falling short of some invisible standard.
When I finally talked to a therapist about it, she said something that stuck with me:
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. But more importantly, you don’t have to run yourself dry to be enough.”
It hit hard. Not because I hadn’t heard something similar before—but because, in that moment, I realized I had never really believed it. Resting wasn’t just a physical act. It required an emotional permission slip—one I hadn’t granted myself in years.
What Our Culture Gets Wrong About Rest
Let’s call it what it is: we’ve culturally conflated rest with laziness.
We’ve made stillness synonymous with slacking. We’ve labeled busy as better. But that narrative is not only unsustainable—it’s untrue.
According to the World Health Organization, workplace burnout is now classified as an occupational phenomenon, with symptoms like exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.
The problem isn’t just that we work hard. It’s that we don’t know when to stop—or how to.
We wait for illness, exhaustion, or emotional collapse to give ourselves rest. But rest shouldn’t be reactionary. It should be routine.
Reclaiming Rest: A Shift in Mindset, Not Just Habits
Changing how I approached rest didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t about downloading a new wellness app or planning a spa day (though no shame if that’s your thing). It started with a single mindset shift:
That thought reframed everything. Rest became something I built into my life with intention—not as a last resort but as a baseline.
Instead of treating rest as “time off,” I started treating it as time in—time to reconnect with my body, my energy, my thoughts. Time that, frankly, made everything else work better.
What Rest Really Means (Spoiler: It’s Not Just Sleep)
It’s easy to reduce rest to “getting more sleep,” but that’s a surface-level solution to a deeper issue. Rest is multi-dimensional. And it’s different for everyone.
Here are some of the forms I’ve found most valuable:
1. Mental Rest
The pause between thoughts. This can mean five minutes without screens. A walk without a podcast. A moment of intentional stillness.
2. Emotional Rest
Giving yourself permission to not be “on.” Saying no without guilt. Creating space where you don’t have to perform or produce.
3. Creative Rest
Stepping away from output to reconnect with inspiration. Reading something just because it interests you. Visiting a museum. Letting your imagination breathe.
4. Sensory Rest
Our senses are constantly bombarded—by phones, lights, noise, movement. Rest here might look like dimming lights, putting your phone on “do not disturb,” or listening to white noise.
Giving Yourself Permission (Without Justifying It)
This was a big one for me: I used to feel like I had to earn rest. Like it was only okay to lie on the couch and watch a movie if I had checked off every box that day.
But here’s the kicker—rest doesn’t need to be justified.
You don’t have to be tired enough. Or stressed enough. Or productive enough. You are allowed to rest simply because you're human, and humans need recovery. Full stop.
If we only rest when we crash, we teach our bodies that exhaustion is the price of slowing down. Instead, I’ve started practicing “preemptive rest.” That means taking breaks before I need them. Building recovery into my schedule before burnout hits.
What I Learned from Slowing Down
Once I started prioritizing rest as a form of self-respect, something unexpected happened: I became more productive. But in a healthier, more sustainable way.
I showed up to work clearer. I made decisions faster. I had more creativity and less reactivity. And, perhaps most importantly, I started feeling more like myself—not just a machine moving from one task to the next.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: when we fear slowing down, we’re often afraid of what we’ll notice when we do. The truth we’ve been ignoring. The feelings we’ve been suppressing.
But here’s the gift of rest—it gently reintroduces you to yourself. No pressure. No agenda. Just space.
Resting in a Go-Go World: How to Actually Make Space for It
Let’s get practical. If rest is important, how do we actually do it—especially when life feels relentless?
Here’s what helped me:
1. Schedule Rest Like You Schedule Meetings
Literally block it on your calendar. Label it “recovery time” if that helps. Treat it with the same importance as a client call or doctor’s appointment.
2. Unplug Without the Panic
Try one hour per day without screens. Or start smaller: 15 minutes of quiet before bed. You might be surprised how much mental space returns.
3. Rethink What “Counts” as Rest
You don’t need a perfect setup. Sometimes rest looks like lying on the floor for five minutes. Or driving in silence. Or stretching while your coffee brews. Tiny pockets count.
4. Say No Without Explaining Everything
You’re not required to give a PowerPoint presentation every time you need to opt out. “I need to rest” is a valid reason.
What Rest Does for Our Relationships, Too
Rest doesn’t just benefit you—it benefits everyone around you. When you’re rested, you communicate better. You’re less reactive. You’re more attuned to your needs and the needs of others.
When we normalize rest in our own lives, we give others permission to do the same. That’s a kind of leadership that doesn’t get enough credit.
According to Harvard Business Review, leaders who model well-being (including rest and recovery) foster teams with higher engagement and lower burnout.
So no—resting isn’t selfish. It’s strategic. It’s relational. It’s quietly revolutionary.
Buzz Boost!
- Micro-pauses matter. Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to reset your brain.
- Protect your first 10 minutes. Don’t check email or news the moment you wake up. Let your nervous system ease in.
- Practice “no-task” time. Schedule 15 minutes daily where you're not allowed to be productive—just observe.
- Build a “rest kit.” Have a go-to playlist, eye mask, journal, or scent that helps your brain wind down.
- Anchor rest to a ritual. Pair it with something you already do (tea, shower, evening walk). That makes it stick.
Rest Isn’t Running Away—It’s Returning
In reclaiming rest, I didn’t quit working hard. I didn’t lose ambition. I didn’t stop caring.
What I did do was stop pretending I didn’t need breaks. I stopped believing that exhaustion was proof of commitment. And I started honoring the fact that the version of me who’s rested—who pauses, breathes, notices—is the one who makes better decisions, connects more deeply, and lives with more intention.
Rest isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. And reclaiming it isn’t selfish—it’s self-respect in action.
So if you’re feeling burned out, overstretched, or stuck in go-mode… maybe it’s not more effort you need.
Maybe it’s permission to stop. To recover. To reclaim what’s already yours.
Because sometimes, the most radical thing we can do is nothing at all—for a little while.
