Rest is not a reward
What is the deal with our cultural idea of rest? It seems to be synonymous with lazy, unproductive, invaluable, and even shameful. I’m here to remind you, no… implore you, to reconsider these ideas of rest. KC Davis speaks to this idea of rest being deserved inherently and not something we only deserve at the end of productivity.
We only have so much energy at any given moment.
As we exchange that energy throughout our daily lives, we become literally depleted of that energy. Imagine you work 6 hours with clients everyday, but then continue on to clean your house, take care of kids or pets, go for a run, chat with a partner, check in on a family member, and on and on. Each activity depletes your energy storage.
A good way to think about energy is as a glass of water. Some activities in our lives require a lot of that water (eg: client work, parenting, exercise, etc). Some activities may only need a small sip (eg: writing an email or doing the dishes). And some activities may be more like an energy exchange (eg: chatting with a friend), which is more like giving a little water and getting a little back. But at some point, your cup is running low. You just don’t have any more water to give to anyone, including yourself. We all have limited energy.
And so, we rest. We recover. We re-up.
It’s a critical part of the process! And it allows you to actually give more than if you push on through.
But another belief many have is that rest is the thing at the end. It’s the reward for all the hard work. “Once I do XYZ, then I can take a break”. “If I can just squeeze out three more emails, then I will let myself rest.”
Rest is not a reward. Rest is something you are inherently worthy of.
It is as essential as food and water. It makes you better at everything else. There is no shame in resting, sleeping, meditating, going for a walk, watching a little Netflix, folding the laundry tomorrow, or never folding the laundry at all. You are not lazy. You still have value.
Allow yourself to take breaks. Pencil it into your calendar if you have to. Put the laundry out of sight. Do whatever you need to do to shift the belief that your rest is not as valuable as your work.
We are all worthy of rest.
