Rest Is Not a Luxury: Redefining Rest for High Achievers |
Rest and recovery are essential, but sometimes difficult to tolerate for folks who crave productivity.
Lack of rest leaves us more at risk for burnout, irritability, and anxiety.
For folks who crave productivity, restorative practices need to be personalized.
Activities that allow the brain and body to remain engaged, with less intensity, can offer restoration.
What does the word “rest” mean to you? What do you picture when you think of taking a restorative break? Some people seem to easily kick back, unburden themselves of demands and do nothing. If you’re a high achiever, you may be perplexed by this. You may experience a mind and / or body that craves productivity or engagement. If that is your experience, you may find it difficult or impossible to flip a switch and just sit down and “rest.”
Even when you’re tired and want to take a break, it may seem like your brain is constantly looking for ways to be productive. You might feel restless or uneasy sitting still. For folks who crave engagement, restorative practices need to be personalized and may be more active than what typically comes to mind when we think of “rest.”
Take a moment to reflect on times when you have felt outside of the rush of productivity. Perhaps it was while you were playing a sport or exercising, absorbed in the flow of conversation with a friend, cooking, driving, or solving the spelling bee. Whatever it was, it worked because your mind was taking a break from the effort of productivity.
Rest is an intentional disengagement from effort. Rest helps us restore our capacity and resilience. In an era when we may be expected to perform 24/7, it can be easy to forget that energy and attention are finite. For those of us who crave productivity, engaging in “unproductive” rest can feel uncomfortable. Maybe you have a vague sense that you need a break, but feel too engaged or motivated to complete a task to take one. Instead of resting, you may find yourself becoming irritable or anxious while trying to push through weekend chores or a complex work project.
Folks who crave productivity are at higher risk for burnout, anxiety, and irritability. Especially those who have perfectionistic standards (Liu & Chien 2025). Though we may differ in terms of which times of day we feel most physically energetic and cognitively alert, we all need periods of recovery in order to function effectively (Ginns, Musca, & Naylor, 2023).
Consider these strategies to help you begin to find ways of resting that work for your need for engagement.
Rest for Body vs. Mind. The most restorative activities will give you a break in the way you most need it. Check in with your body and with your brain’s ability to focus. See if you can determine if your mind needs a rest, your body, or both. If the body needs a rest and your mind is still craving something to do, it may help to do something that keeps the mind engaged while requiring low physical effort — think activities like puzzles, reading, listening to podcasts, knitting, LEGOs, or sketching.
Other times, it may be that the mind could use a break from regulating focused attention or problem-solving, and your body wants to stay busy. In that case, picking a physical task for the body to engage in (safely) without much mental effort can be helpful. This could be as simple as going for a walk, folding laundry, practicing yoga, or taking a dance break. Being in nature is especially beneficial for reducing stress and improving cognitive functioning.
Mindfulness to rest. Your break will be most restorative if you can leave the stress of finishing the to-do list aside for the duration. This means, completely turn your attention toward fully participating in your walk, your chat with a friend, or doing the Wordle. When your mind wanders back to the work you want to finish, gently bring your attention back to your restorative activity and remind yourself you will have scheduled work time later.
Schedule your rest. Having clearly delineated work and rest times can help calm the restless urge to get back to productivity. Schedule your rest time into your calendar the way you schedule your productive tasks. After all, rest enhances effectiveness and efficiency in the long run. So it counts as an investment toward productivity. Consider several short breaks throughout the day. Even 5-10 minutes of letting your brain disengage from productivity can help you restore energy and focus (Koivisto & Grassini, 2024).
Bernhofer, E. (2016). Investigating the concept of rest for research and practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72.
Ginns, P, Musca, K., & Naylor, R. (2023). Rest breaks aid directed attention and learning. Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 141.
Koivisto, M. & Grassini, S (2024) The restorative effects of mental imagery of nature: A study on subjective and physiological responses, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 96.
Liu, L., & Chien, C. (2025). Drawing the line: how role boundary buffers the pathway from perfectionism to burnout via telepressure and work-to-life conflict. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 34(5), 550–564.