Do I Need to Rest or Am I "Just Lazy"?

A big part of my job as an anti-diet dietitian and certified personal trainer is helping people redefine their relationship with exercise. This also means helping them redefine their relationship with rest. 

In our culture we are conditioned to believe that rest is not a basic human need but instead, something we need to earn. And what I often witness is that by the time we truly allow ourselves to rest it’s because we have no other option. We become so exhausted, burnt out, run down, perhaps even physically ill that we couldn’t will ourselves to work more even if we wanted to. 

Now the concept of “earning” rest probably wouldn’t be as problematic if we didn’t simultaneously walk around with this “never enough” narrative on top of it all. We expect ourselves to work diligently, exercise intensely, and parent perfectly and rarely ever feel that “done” feeling when it comes to our to-do list (because it is truly never ending). 

This is not a personal failing. We have been conditioned to believe that if we just worked harder, smarter, and longer hours that we could finally achieve the blissful state of done and enough. Then, we could truly rest. We have also been conditioned to believe that resting before we get to done and enough is laziness. A failure. And something to feel shame and guilt about.  

But maybe the simple fact that we will never reach the magical land of done and enough is kind of freeing? Like, this is it. There’s always more to do, so why not allow yourself to rest, guilt free?

You are worthy of rest that is fulfilling, satisfying, and most importantly, free of judgement. 

What are your favorite ways to rest and rejuvenate? Let me know in the comments below!