Working and hustling 24/7 is glorified in today’s world, and taking time to rest can make us feel lazy and unproductive. The truth about rest is that it’s powerful and an essential part of life. Rest shouldn’t be seen as a reward — it has so many benefits for us. So if you’re ready to understand the importance of rest and how to make it work for you without feeling lazy, then read on.
1. Rest Is Productive — Even When It Feels Like It’s Not
Without rest, we have no time to recharge and reset our minds and bodies. We all have a million things on our never-ending to-do lists, and spending our time resting can seem counterproductive. But the reality is, taking time to rest allows us to grow and come back bigger and better. This applies not only to our physical body but also to our minds too.
Resting without guilt should be something that comes easy to us, but more often than not, we have internal battles telling us we should be doing more. Allow yourself time where you take a break and truly allow yourself to rest. Think about the benefits that would come if you gave yourself permission to pause. You show up better for yourself and for those around you.
2. Rest Supports Mental Health
Burnout, anxiety, and overwhelm often show up when we ignore the warning signs for rest. Slowing down allows space for clarity and calmness in our days. Taking a slower, more intentional approach to your life can change everything.
Notice how you feel before and after rest. Often, by taking a break, we come back with new ideas and inspiration and feel ready to take on the world. To do this, you don’t need to book a four-day silent retreat — simply build in moments of rest and reset into your days. This could be spending 30 minutes without your phone or spending time in nature. Reframe your thought process to understand that rest is not a luxury — it’s an essential part of life we need.
3. Rest Leads to Better Decisions and Creativity
When we are well rested, thinking is so much clearer and it’s easier to make better decisions. No matter what you are trying to achieve, a break can help you achieve it with ease. If you’re a time blocker who loves to schedule every part of your day, try fitting in some “you” time on the calendar.
If you know you have a full workday ahead of you, take a short break to step away from your desk every 90 minutes. This doesn’t have to be for long — just stretching your legs and allowing your mind a rest will help you come back making better choices and help you avoid burnout. Taking a short walk without distractions can help free your mind. Put your phone away and just let yourself enjoy the nature around you.
4. Your Body Needs It — Period
The human body needs sleep to be able to function. This is when the magic happens — your body heals itself, balances hormones, and strengthens its immune system all while you’re sleeping. When we neglect sleep, not only does this make it harder to think, but it also weakens your body.
Aim to get 7–9 hours of sleep per night. This shouldn’t be a surprise to you, but reflect back on the last week and see what time you’ve actually been going to sleep and waking up. Napping isn’t something to be looked down on. If you don’t get enough sleep during the night, a nap during the day will make you feel better and more productive after it.
It’s easy to overbook ourselves — try saying no to the things you don’t want to do. Every time you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to yourself.
5. Rest Helps You Reconnect With Yourself
Self-awareness and self-love both happen when you create space for them. Taking time out can help you become calmer, more focused, and happier. Multitasking isn’t actually more productive, and staying on one task undistracted will help you get results faster and make you less stressed.
Unplug for an hour a day — you can let people know that for the next hour you won’t be available if you are worried. Taking time without your phone helps your mind reset, and it’s amazing how much you can get done without picking it up every 5 minutes.
Meditation and breathwork are great tools to help reconnect with yourself — even just a few minutes can put you in a different mind space. Reflect on what you need more of in your life and try to add these activities into your day. Do the same with what you need to reduce and say no to in order to make time for you.
6. Rest Makes the Glow-Up Sustainable
Becoming your best self isn’t just about how you look on the outside. Feeling good on the inside affects everything — from your mood, to work, to achieving your goals. Recharging your energy allows you to give more to what matters to you.
Create your routine so that rest is a priority. Even athletes plan in their rest in order to make them stronger. This is a tactical move to help them grow — not because they are lazy.
You weren’t meant to run nonstop, and being busy isn’t something we should glorify. Rest is what helps us grow, makes us a better person, and is an act of self-love. So take the nap. Light the candle. Close the laptop. And make time for you to slow down. You deserve it.