I’ve been taught since I was very little about the importance of hustling. I was told that in order to get what I want I must work extremely hard, never take “no” for an answer, and keep persevering forward.
While I still believe in the importance of hard work and determination, I now realize how living in a “hustle culture” is not necessarily healthy.
We’re constantly glued to our phones because we’re worried our boss is going to email us about a project that needs to get done ASAP. We see our friends living their “best lives” on social media and feel as though we need to be doing the same. It’s a constant chase and nothing ever feels good enough.
But, in order to be the best versions of ourselves we can be, we need to understand the value of rest. Most of us feel too busy to rest or are worried we’re going to fail in our professional or personal life if we just take a day off.
While these anxieties are valid (trust me, I deal with them too), not taking time to rest is detrimental to our mental and physical health.
Set One Day Aside
The weekends are supposed to be our days off, but most of us continue to run around like crazy people on Saturdays and Sundays. We have people to see, parties to attend, errands to run… the list goes on and on.
However, take one of those days and throw your list of responsibilities out the window. Don’t commit to anything other than the idea of rest.
Allow yourself to sleep in, eat nourishing foods, watch TV, read a book, or go for a walk. Detach yourself from your phone and do not — I repeat, do not — check your emails.
Your Personal and Professional Life Will Be Just Fine
When I first started focusing on my rest days, I thought I would be fired from my job and lose all my friends.
I didn’t understand that I could actually go without checking my emails for an entire day and things would be OK. I thought if I said no to a friend’s social gathering she’d never want to be my friend again.
The reality is, none of those things are going to happen. Your job is still going to be there waiting for you on Monday morning. Your friends, if they’re good friends, will understand you need a day to yourself.
In fact, you’ll probably be better at your job and a better friend if you take time to rest and recuperate.
Focus on the Balance
The bottom line is that life is all about balance. It’s great to work hard and push yourself, but it’s equally as important to take a chill pill and breathe. Athletes need days off between games in order to perform at a high level, so why don’t we realize that we also need days off to be good at our jobs?
Taking time for yourself is not a sign of weakness or an indicator that you’re lazy. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
