Rest Is Revolutionary
Rest is one of the most important functions our body undertakes on a daily basis. It gives us time to mentally, and physically recharge, it helps our body complete necessary functions like rebuilding cells, and gives us energy day to day. So why, in today’s hustle and grind culture, is rest so frowned upon?
I have been both self employed, and an employee, and largely across the board, breaks are frowned upon, days are long, and lunches are short and unpaid. We are told we should be working every minute we are awake because as the old saying goes “time is money”, and in today’s economic climate kickstarted by the industrial revolution, it’s clear that money has become more important than our health and well-being.
The class divides we see today have made this even clearer, with the lower classes being not just poor in a monetary sense, but time poor also. Rich influencers can sit and tell us “we all have the same 24 hours in a day” as much as they want but it doesn’t make it true. Someone with their own business and the money to outsource does not have the same 24 hours as a small business owner who’s fighting doing it all themselves just to pay rent. An able bodied person does not have the same 24 hours as disabled and chronically ill people who often need much more rest just to function. Parents with enough space and money to hire childminders do not have the same 24 hours as single parents.
Many people fall into more than one of these disadvantaged circumstances, and yet we’re constantly told that we just need to work harder, that we’re not doing enough, we’re struggling because we’re lazy. Anyone who has been or is in any of these situations knows this is simply not true, we fight for our lives day in day out just to survive and then get told rest, something that is necessary to life, is something we should feel guilt and shame for.
I’m lucky to be in the position where I’m working for myself, setting my own hours, and resting when I need, and I’ve seen the difference that rest makes to my productivity, my health, my overall mood and mental wellness. The difference is stark when I compare how I feel now, to the days I was burning out weekly, losing my entire weekend and evening to sluggish fatigue, and literally collapsing, just to do it all over again the moment I started feeling better. I was ill constantly because my body was under constant stress, I’d forgotten what it was like not to be tired, I was pushing myself into mountains of activities after and between work I couldn’t handle just to avoid that awful feeling of lost inertia when I stopped.
Fast forward to now and I can lie down when the palpitations get too bad, move days around when the dizziness is too much to work through, finish early when the fatigue kicks in, take a longer lunch when I need to; and still have enough time (and more importantly, energy) to finish my tasks for the week. I am still acutely aware that this is a privilege, because I have lived without it, and frankly, something has to change if we don’t want the general populous to just keep getting sicker and unhappier.
Rest isn’t just sleep and naps either, it’s anything that gives you time to mentally and/or physically recharge, for me that’s meditating, playing games on my phone, scrolling TikTok, sitting outside, singing, and playing guitar. Whatever rest looks like to you, I want you to know it’s not just okay, it’s NECESSARY to your survival, and despite what anyone tells you, it will make you more productive and more successful in the long run.
Just look at Einstein, one of the worlds’ most impressive brains, and he slept for 10 hours every night AND took midday naps! All whilst coming up with some of the most compelling physics in the last couple of centuries, and rebelling against a fascist regime! (Nathaniel Drew has a great video on this on YouTube which I’ll link below.)
At the end of the day, we’re mammals, not hive insects, and mammals need a lot of rest (lions sleep between 16-20 hours a day!) No matter how the powers that be try to demonise rest, and tell us we should be working instead, just know that you ARE being productive, you’re producing energy, rebuilding cells, fighting off disease, and giving your busy mind time to relax. So next time you feel guilty for resting, know that you’re taking part in a revolution right from your sofa.
Stay safe, look after yourselves, and please, rest.
Einstein source: https://youtu.be/LQT2pH1vDB8