top of page
Search

Close the laptop already! Getting the rest you need.

  • Writer: Chris Coraggio
    Chris Coraggio
  • Dec 23, 2022
  • 5 min read


Happy Holidays y’all! Whether or not you celebrate any, hopefully you get some extended rest this Holiday season. I am personally struggling with this topic of rest - as I just started a new consulting job, my perfectionism is the devil on my shoulder telling me to work myself until burnout! So, once again, this is a post for me too 🙂 As an aside - hope you enjoy pictures of me and other little creatures sleeping :D


We’ll discuss (1) what effective rest is and why it is important, (2) why it is difficult for us to rest, and (3) how to plan and practice rest.



What is Rest?


According to The Cut, “...rest is a physiological state during which your innate fight-or-flight stress response, or sympathetic nervous system, subsides in favor of a more relaxed condition.” Physical signs of rest include your heart rate and blood pressure coming down, your shoulders drop naturally and you are allowing your body to recover. “Psychologically, rest is considered a shift from deliberate and effortful thinking…to a more passive state, sometimes characterized by mind-wandering or zoning out.” In sleep, your brain is repairing itself and consolidating memories and learning to long-term memory.


While we focus this post more on physical and mental rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith (whose popular TED talk is here) says there are 7 types of rest (physical, mental, sensory, creative, social, emotional and spiritual), so your rest needs change depending on your situation.



Benefits and Consequences


According to FastCompany, “It’s when our bodies repair and grow; our brains become smarter and more creative; and our minds replenish willpower and gain emotional control. Rest is so important to working in a happy, healthy, and sustainable manner.”


We are more immune to diseases, have a more stable mood and ultimately, are more productive. Yes - more productive (this is a big argument for the 4-day workweek).


Consequences


Brigid Schulte in her podcast series notes that “stress and overwork in the labor force is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.”


In a paper published this May 2022, “authors from institutions including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) suggest that, each year, three-quarters of a million people are dying from ischaemic heart disease and stroke, due to working long hours.”


Overwork can reduce health and longevity for two reasons. First, there is the biological toll of chronic stress, with an uptick in stress hormones leading to elevated blood pressure and cholesterolhanges in behavior. Secondarily, those hours working result in less sleep and exercise, eating unhealthy foods and engaging in coping behaviors like smoking and drinking.


I think we all know generally not resting is bad - hopefully we can appreciate that in the end, rest is part of the cycle of being productive, and not the boom-and-bust cycles we go through when we burnout (my tendency unfortunately).


Getting the Right Rest


What is the rest that you need? No one can tell you except you and maybe your doctor. Perhaps do a quick self-check (here is Dr. Dalton-Smith’s quiz) against the different types of rest:

Type of Rest

Signs We Need this Rest

Methods of Rest

Physical


  • Exhaustion

  • Soreness/pain

  • Stiffness

  • Low energy



  • Sleep

  • Massage therapy

  • Stretching

  • Walking, biking, yoga, physical activity


Mental


  • Trouble falling asleep

  • Lack of focus

  • Difficulty of processing ideas


  • Schedule regular breaks throughout the day

  • Write down thoughts

Emotional

  • Putting up a front

  • Struggling to say no and advocate for yourself

  • Trouble dealing with your emotions


  • Be honest and share with somebody you trust how you really feel

  • Therapy

  • Distraction in a new environment can help (vacation, being in nature)


Social

  • Inability to differentiate relationships that revive vs. exhaust

  • Feeling a lot of obligation as it comes to relationships

  • Exhaustion and lack of presence with people


  • More alone time

  • Spend more time with people that are good just with your presence

  • Going only to social events you are excited for


Sensory

  • Feeling overwhelmed by regular stimulation

  • Lower energy

  • More irritable


  • Sensory deprivation (like silence, closed eyes)

  • Unplug

  • Relax in nature


Creative


  • Inability to think critically or creatively

  • Difficulty processing complex concepts



  • Prevent yourself from overanalyzing everything

  • Appreciate the present and whatever is in front of you, especially beauty of nature, art, or music


Spiritual

  • Feeling purposeless

  • Lacking a sense of belonging and love


  • Finding community

  • Prayer

  • Meditation

  • Practicing gratitude

  • Giving back to others




Why do we have a hard time resting?


Only about 27% of U.S. employees used all their allotted paid vacation time last year, according to new research from Qualtrics. And when employees do take time away, half say they do at least an hour of work a day.

Even as employees are booking their 2023 vacations, data shows U.S. workers cannot relax. From Qualtrics: ”Nearly one in three employees say they are expected to answer phone calls or texts, 27% say they are expected to respond to emails and 20% say they are expected to be online while on vacation. Without the ability to really unplug, more than a quarter of employees say they do not feel rejuvenated after taking time off, which could be contributing to employee burnout. About 58% of U.S. workers say their job is the main source of their mental health challenges.”

So work, in effect, is often the source of our lack of rest. On top of this, our financial stresses are often interlinked with work - if we feel financially strained, we are stressed, and often feel the need to work longer and harder. We also spend less money to get the rest we need, whether that be a pillow, gym membership, healthier food, therapy or a vacation. The cycle continues.

There are other reasons to keep working - the Washington Post named a few:

  • “Work inertia keeps you rolling past quitting time.“

  • “No one — including you — respects your boundaries.“

  • “You’re afraid you’ll be replaced or resented.“

  • “No one can handle this but me!”

For me personally, it’s ambition and perfection. Whatever your reason, it’s important that you identify what’s keeping you from purely resting, call out that problematic mindset, and make a plan to overcome your urge to overwork.


How we can give ourselves the rest we need


As I sit here myself working, here is how I am approaching creating opportunity for rest this Holiday:

  1. Be clear when you’re unplugged. There are psychological consequences of having work in

the background. Put those days of complete rest in your calendar.

  1. Envision how you want to spend that time. You will be more motivated having some plans to look forward to, be that catching up on your favorite show, skiing, or hitting the spa. Thankfully this year, I’m in Puerta Vallarta!

  2. Make a plan of how to get the work done. Be clear and reasonable with what work you will get done, to what level of quality. Understand how much time and focus that will take to stop work when you said you would. Block your hours of time with what you want to get done.

  3. Prepare yourself for your pre-unplug sprint. Be conscious of your productivity-killing habits, and put yourself in the environment you need to sprint. This includes the right workspace, schedule, food and breaks.

  4. Create your space to rest. Know the rest you need and design your time around it. Also create some rules for yourself - how much you are on social media, how you decide what social activities to engage in and what you do if something at work may “need“ your attention (need is subjective…).



Enjoy your damn break!


A recent survey indicated that 82% of Americans work on vacation, and 90% check work messages. There’s no question that technology is interfering with our ability to truly disconnect from our jobs - both work technologies and social media. Create your plan and ward off the evil spirits of productivity and urgency!


I hope you give yourself permission to rest - both the rest you need, and some of that indulgent rest like binging episodes of Black Lady Sketch Show or Casa de las Flores (just shouting out 2 of my faves) that we all crave. You need it and you deserve it.


For Learning and With Love,


Chris




Research:

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page