As the new year dawns, the familiar pressure to be more productive, creative, and efficient kicks in. Yet, what if the most radical and beneficial resolution for 2024 was not to do more, but to do less? What if this was the year we finally learned the true art of rest?
The Unwinnable Race of Modern Life
In a society that glorifies busyness, we are all unwilling competitors in what author Amelia Nagoski calls the 'stress Olympics'. Nagoski, co-author of 'Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle', observes that we operate under a pervasive belief that the busiest person wins gold. This cultural script, which champions hard work and sacrifice, often frames rest as self-indulgent or lazy.
This mindset is not just exhausting; it's ultimately counterproductive. Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, a physician and author of 'Sacred Rest', emphasises that rest is the foundation for functioning at our highest capacity. Pushing relentlessly through fatigue typically leads to a decline in the quality of our work and wellbeing.
Redefining What Rest Really Means
So, what constitutes genuine rest? It's not merely the absence of activity. Rest is anything that replenishes your energy, explains Nagoski. Sometimes, it's simply switching to a different kind of task.
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, author of 'Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less', argues that the most restorative forms of rest are often active. "That's not to say there's anything wrong with sitting on the couch with a bag of salty snacks in one hand and the TV remote in another," he says. "But the things that deliver the biggest restorative bang for your buck are things like going for a walk, spending time in nature or exercising."
Identifying Your Personal Rest Deficit
The barriers to proper rest are both societal and personal. Pang notes that our culture is almost perfectly designed to devalue downtime, programming us to believe that success requires endless hours of labour. On an individual level, many people struggle because they don't understand what specific type of rest they need.
Dr Dalton-Smith's experience working in a hospital ICU is telling. Despite getting eight hours of sleep nightly, she felt perpetually drained. She realised she was suffering from an emotional rest deficit, exhausted by the energy required to remain calm amidst trauma.
Her work identifies seven distinct types of rest, each addressing a different kind of fatigue:
- Physical rest: Prioritising sleep and taking naps.
- Mental rest: Journaling, meditating, or doing undemanding puzzles.
- Emotional rest: Sharing feelings openly with a trusted friend or therapist.
- Social rest: Spending quality time alone or with people who energise you.
- Sensory rest: Stepping away from screens and spending time outdoors.
- Creative rest: Engaging in hobbies like drawing, reading, or dancing.
- Spiritual rest: Connecting with a meaningful cause, community, or tradition.
Practical Steps to a More Rested Life
To integrate more rest, start by taking it seriously. If you have schedule control, Pang recommends pairing 90-minute to two-hour blocks of deep work with half-hour breaks for non-work activities. For those with unpredictable jobs, fiercely guarding nights and weekends is crucial; research shows clear work-life boundaries lead to longer, happier careers.
Perhaps the most powerful strategy is to enlist support. Amelia Nagoski's own burnout led to a hospital visit, after which her sister, Emily, drove hours to bring her research on rest. "All these external pressures to sacrifice... it's like a rushing river," Nagoski says. "If you try to stand against it alone, you're going to get washed away really fast. But if you surround yourself with people who care about your wellbeing... you can all stand together, and that's the only way to resist the river."
This year, challenge the gold medal standard of busyness. The real victory lies not in winning the stress Olympics, but in having the courage to step off the podium and truly recharge.
