6 Ways To Stop Feeling Guilty When Resting
- Adilla
- Jun 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 11
Not all are spared from the guilt of not doing something productive during our rest, or even when we should be productive, we can’t seem to do anything. Yet, you still end up feeling exhausted.
What you may not know is that fighting against your mind to force yourself to do something is already exhausting. Some would say you’re being lazy, but if you were actually being lazy, you would be having fun and not be riddled with guilt.
With the movement of prioritising self-care rising in trends, resting has become important to avoid the burnout that the hustle culture has put us in. Especially for the creative industry, individuals who run on passion for the art; creatives’ self-care comes with guilt of not creating something even during their rest.
So, how do you rest and feel guilt-free?
Table Of Contents
What Exactly Is Rest?
Rest, according to the dictionary, is to cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover strength. So, if you’re watching shows or movies during your rest, you might not actually be able to rest properly. Entertainment is, unfortunately, a distraction from your rest.
So, how exactly do you get rest?
6 Ways to Recharge Guilt-Free
While the feeling of guilt is hard to remove, by changing the way you rest, that guilt might just go away on its own. Here are some of the rests that can help you experience that guilt-free recovery:
1. Reframe Your Perspective
If you think that you can only rest once you finish all of your work, I have something to tell you: Rest shouldn’t be something that you earn. Everyone and anyone deserve to rest, whether you did something productive or not.
When your body is struggling to focus and craves just lying down, it’s best to listen to it before it becomes mental gymnastics of you fighting with your brain.
2. Kindness And Mindfulness
Being kind to yourself when you rest is important. When your mind starts to talk negatively, redirect it elsewhere by focusing on something else or reminding yourself that it’s okay to rest. Go easy on yourself as you stay present as you rest.
While mindfulness practice comes in different forms, taking the time to walk without any form of entertainment is one of them. There’s nothing wrong with needing to listen to something as you walk, but you’d be surprised at how refreshed your mind will be if you take the time to observe your surroundings: sight, smell, and touch.
Mindfulness activities will help you stay grounded and will at least help your mind to recharge and recover from any mental stress.
3. Connection And Socialising
Another way to recharge your mind is through meaningful connections with friends or family. If you have a strong support system, reach out and just spend some time with them. You’ll never know if your conversation ends up being heartfelt and wholesome, healing you a little bit from the inside.
4. Pick Up a New Hobby
This may sound counterintuitive, but hobbies that are repetitive can put you in a state of flow that can help you relax. These repetitive hobbies can be knitting, crocheting, embroidery or even pottery. The single-minded focus you have when you do these activities, surprisingly, relaxes the mind and pulls you away from that feeling of guilt.
5. Write It All Down
It is kind of cliché to write down your feelings or emotions to recharge your mind, but it does help. It doesn’t have to be every day, like how those journaling gurus would tell you. Taking the time to put your thoughts to pen and paper (or type them out) can help dump any underlying stress that could stop you from fully resting.
6. Get Your Body Moving
This could be as cliché as journaling, but exercising or generally keeping your body moving really helps you recover better. If the idea of exercise is daunting to you, find other forms of movement that can get you there. These are some examples: dancing, aerial yoga, swimming, and even just swinging your arms while walking around your room works too.
Conclusion
While it’s good to want to be productive all the time, you will end up going through a creative burnout. So, try your best to avoid it by giving yourself time to rest – a good distraction-free rest. None of the Netflix or binge-watching shows until late at night. Take your self-care day to truly be caring for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I do all of this, but I’m still struggling to rest without wanting to do something. What should I do?
I’m sorry that you’re struggling with this. Take the time to check with yourself if you have underlying issues of anxiety and depression. Find a group therapy or counselling session that could help you identify these feelings further. Good luck!
I struggle to find time to rest because of my unpredictable work schedule. How can I slot in more rest?
Schedule your rest and be firm about it! If you set a time to rest, then follow that strictly for your own good. Unless an emergency comes in, set a different time to rest, but make sure you do have that 1 whole day to rest, at least. (Make it 2 days; please rest!)
As a workaholic, it is a struggle for me not to work all the time. Is there a way for me to stop this behaviour?
Please seek out professional help! While it’s good that you like to work, be sure you’re not burning yourself out without realising it. Best wishes!
Author Bio
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies like parodies of animated shows and plots for board games. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Now an advocate for mental health and effective project management for the creative industry. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.
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