There’s rest, and there’s “rest.” The former is when you’re not only committed to relaxing but also spending your recovery time doing actually restorative things. A walk without music. A long shower. Watching a whole movie without checking your phone. It’s rare, isn’t it? Perhaps a bit too rare, maybe?
I, too, spend way too much time “resting” the latter way: You’re not doing anything productive, but you’re still busy. Your brain is on. Your mind is racing. You’re speed-tapping through Youtube videos, trying to get smarter from a podcast while cooking, or incessantly checking the news for no reason. That’s not rest. It’s a different kind of exhaustion.
You can’t always rest when you want to, but you can cultivate a calm mind that’ll stay level even in difficult situations. In order to do that, however, you’ll need to actually rest when you truly have the chance.
Don’t waste your recovery time. Protect it as strongly as you fight for your productive hours. Don’t let busyness creep through your workday and into your much needed recuperation. When you rest, rest, and you shall return with seemingly infinite energy.