Why is Rest Important?

By Veronica Baginski 

If I had to recommend one book everyone should read, it would be 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. If you prefer audiobooks, this is also a good one because the author reads it, and he has an excellent British accent.  

This book puts into perspective the idea of hustle culture, where it came from, and why it is not helping us as a society. I don’t want to do a summary of this book because I want all of you to go and read it, but I will say this one thing. The idea of genuine rest is completely underrated in our society. I’m not talking about “I have the day off and I will do laundry, vacuum the carpets, wash the windows, clean out my closets, etc.” I am talking about doing absolutely nothing, unless it brings you joy. If you have the day off and you love to read, pick up your book. If you love to watch documentaries, pick and new one and enjoy, even if it is the middle of the day. If you hate to cook, order take out on your day off. I am talking about genuine rest.  

People who are in the constant state of go do not have time to rest and can get over stimulated or burnt out. Mental, emotional, and physical rest is the only way to combat this. The dichotomy is a person in the hustle mentality thinks if they stop, they are being lazy. This is not the case. You must charge your phone and you have to get gas for your car. The human body is significantly more complicated than a machine, yet we overwork it until exhaustion. If you were given one car for the rest of your life, you would take extreme care of that vehicle. You have one body; give it the rest it needs.