Since when did rest become a luxury?
In a country that glorifies productivity, it is counter-culture to prioritize rest. We often neglect rest despite it being the fuel we need to give our best. Rest and recharging is being advocated for more these days, but guilt is still present for many people who decide too. The science behind rest is even talked about more, but the habit of overworking is entrenched. If we know that rest is necessary and we often hear it being advocated for, why do we still talk ourselves out of it?
There are so many reasons why people are not resting when rest is what their brains and bodies need most. If we look at it through a systemic lens it becomes apparent that in this country, rest is often a privilege. For many communities, hustling isn’t a choice, but a survival strategy. American organizations and corporations are known for maintaining a culture of unrest through unspoken expectations, poor modeling of boundaries and sparse PTO. Even when living a balanced life is part of someone’s set of values, people may feel the need to camouflage themselves in order to conform to the norms of the environment. Being counter-culture to hustle culture can come at the expense of one’s livelihood, well-being or opportunities.
Sometimes we perpetuate our own unrest by seeing it as something to be earned, when in actuality it is a vital human need. When we see rest in this way, we will start to overcompensate. For example, someone might over-rest once they finally slow themselves down, which can lead to depressive symptoms. This is later followed up by overworking and insistent striving once they move out of the “slump.” Living in these extremes is common when rest is treated as anovelty and not as a norm.
Our bodies will eventually get our attention when we, or society, deprives us of rest. Sometimes through illness, other times through irritability, and perhaps even through lack of focus and energy. How do we make rest a welcomed practice in our life so that we can function optimally, instead of vacillating between the extremes of overworking and over-resting? How do we change society at large so that rest is valued and not seen as weak, lazy or inefficient? These are tough questions to ponder, but nonetheless necessary to attempt to answer. Here are three things that might get the ball rolling, but just know it’s a mountain to roll down, not a hill.
BE the change in your workplace, if you feel empowered to and it won’t come at the expense of your livelihood,. When you go on vacation, really unplug. When you leave work, leave work. Check-in on your colleagues. Take all of your paid time off.
Rest deeply. Sitting on the couch thinking about your to-dos and fighting off guilt is not restful. When you decide to rest, do your best to really sink into it, giving yourself permission to rest in whatever way feels right. This intentional rest will ward off the overcompensation that usually follows.
Start paying attention to your different cues. For some of us, increased irritability is a sign that we need a break. For others of us we might start making careless mistakes at work. What are your cues? Figure them out then make a conscious effort to check-in with yourself often, so you can proactively intervene before your body forces rest on you.
Rest is a vital need to function as a human. Individually, we can ask ourselves “what do I have control over that would make rest more possible for me and my sphere of influence?” There is less of a need these days to explain the science behind why rest is productive, and more of a need for the culture to shift with the new information. Cultural change takes time, but in the meantime, find rest where you can and remember, that just because it’s counter-culture to value rest, doesn’t mean its wrong.
