Why You Need Rest: Slowing Down Helps You Thrive

Self-care is often overlooked in the pursuit of productivity. Discover why rest is essential, how much you truly need and how it supports your overall well-being.

Even though we crave rest, we often find ourselves working more. Learn why you need to rest more than ever.

When you’re stuck in the cycle of a never-ending to-do list, who doesn’t want to get it all done in a day, check things off the list and then save rest time for last? After all, you must earn your rest, right?

It doesn’t need to be this way.

Getting too much done too quickly has a cost: Your self-care and everything that comes with it: health, happiness and longevity.

Self-care is often neglected in the name of getting stuff done.

Why is it so tempting to do more when you know getting some rest would serve you best?

Well, for starters, you may fear that if you can’t keep up today, it’s a sign that you won’t be able to keep up tomorrow. But whom are you keeping up with? Your own idea of who you think you should be? Someone you see on social media?

Ask any full-time working mom with young children: Your schedule is so jam-packed during the week that it’s hilarious to think that you can rest for even a moment. You might think: “Rest? Who needs it? I’ll do it later when I have time.” But then later comes and you find yourself in the same pattern: doing more on less rest.

I know how it is to stay up until the early morning hours to get things done so I can finally check off items on my to-do list. There can be a sense of overwhelming anxiety when my list keeps growing and I'm not getting anything done or checking off things fast enough.

In many cases, you're probably praised for doing more and resting less. You might even praise yourself for being more productive.

But you’re in charge of saying when ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

You get to decide how you spend your time, and it's a choice to spend your time working more and not giving yourself the rest you crave.

To me, rest isn’t just sleeping. It’s also allowing myself to take pauses throughout the day to do something else other than sit in front of a computer typing away the day. Rest can be so simple, but the choice to do it can be so difficult.

And guess what?

It’ll never all get done any way.

It just won’t.

There is so much acceptance that comes with this. And it’s a little reminder to enjoy life more. There will always be more to do.

Give yourself permission to rest today because if you don’t, then when?

Practice It: Choose Why You Need to Rest: Pick One Way to Rest More This Week

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier every night. Log off your computer 20 minutes earlier than you usually do. Read a book for 10 minutes before bed. Rest on a bench and observe nature for five minutes. Whatever it is, pick one thing and stick with it for a week. Keep going to learn the type of rest that is best for you.

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