This post is coming a day later than I intended. 

After an exhausting weekend with my toddler, and taking care of things around the house, I was tired. I stressed about what I needed to get done yesterday (this post included), but ultimately, I allowed myself to do something that has historically been very difficult for me to do: rest. 

 Considering the burnout epidemic, my decision to rest was indeed a radical one. Rest is the antidote to burnout. According to Nagoski and Nagoski (2019),  we should be spending 42% of our time – or 10 hours per day – at rest. We should account 7-8 of those hours for sleep, and then 2-3 hours for “active rest”, which is anything we can do to shift our attention from the hard work of our careers and caretaking. For some people that may be vegging out and watching reality tv, while for others it may be starting that DIY project. The bottom line is resting your mind and body from being “on” and focused productivity.  

The key here is allowing to take the time for yourself. As tempting and lauded as 16 hours a day of productivity may seem, it’s unreasonable and a recipe for an eventual hard crash. Humans are not meant to be productive every waking hour of the day. We NEED time to recover from our fast-paced lives. As I often tell my clients, if you don’t take time to rest, your body will make you with exhaustion or illness. 

Implementing Rest

Work on sleep first. It’s hard to talk about implementing active rest if your sleep is not up to the 7-8 hour par. Yes, you really need 7-8 hours of sleep each night! Many diseases and conditions have been linked to people with sleep deficiency, and – you guessed it – burnout. Get back to basics by setting a bedtime 7-8 hours before you would like to wake up in the morning. If you plan to get up at 6am, start heading to bed around 9-10pm, allowing for time for your body to wind down. Evening routines and sleep hygiene are crucial to falling asleep promptly.  

Use your PTO. The average American worker receives between 11-15 days of PTO (paid time off) per year, yet 55% of workers do not use all their allotted time off. Remember that when you don’t take time off, your body will make you? Planning for days off work may prevent you from having to take time off due to stress-induced illness. Plan days off in advance or use a day when you truly need a break. Use it!

Give yourself permission to rest. It is hard to truly recuperate while sitting on the couch thinking of the things you need to get done. Utilize self-compassion and remind yourself that you are allowed to take a break. If it’s hard to do this on your own, enlist a supportive friend or coworker to validate that it is okay to have downtime. Consider how a well-rested you is more helpful to your work and others, than a tired, burnt out you.