Rest days used to make me anxious. If I wasn’t doing something ‘productive,’ I felt like I was wasting time. As someone who’s always go, go, go everything needs to go as planned kind of person, I knew that coming to college as a freshman would only make things worse. And I know I’m not the only one in this boat. I would rather find something to keep myself busy than try to relax. On days when I slept in instead of going to the gym or accidentally spent too long doom-scrolling, guilt always won. I’d shame myself for “wasting time” and push that mental green light even harder.
Recently, I started journaling before bed (as corny as it sounds, it’s helped clear my mind). One night, I made a list of why I feel this way:
- Pressure to always be productive
- Fear of falling behind my peers
- Social media showing unrealistically productive “spend the day with me” vlogs with time stamps
- The belief that success = constant output and growth
After writing it down, I thought about how I could change this. Of course, it’s easier said than done. Even with good intentions, that voice in my head often convinces me to slip back into old habits. So I began shifting my mindset, realizing that the things I have to do are actually privileges, not chores. I get to sleep in a bed. I get to go to the gym. The more I repeated this new mindset to myself, the more it began to naturally stick. The first few days, I had to intentionally remind myself that I get to go to class instead of having to go to class. But after a week and a half in, I realized I no longer needed to force this thought; it came naturally.
This made me realize how I ultimately have the power to shape my own thoughts and opinions. If I can imagine the worst possible outcomes or guilt-trip myself for being “unproductive,” I can also do the opposite. What if the best thing happens? What if I actually am a productive person, and I just don’t see it because I keep raising the bar higher and higher for myself?
The way you frame your thoughts can completely change your attitude toward anything, really. Now, before I act on a thought, I ask myself:
- Does this really align with the person I want to become?
- Am I doing this because I truly want to — or just to feel productive?
Objectively, productivity means making progress or producing results. But we often attach moral value to it, as if being productive equals being “good” or “worthy.” In reality, it just means we’re moving, not necessarily growing. Reframing rest as productive might sound counterintuitive, but rest is what lets me show up better — mentally, emotionally, and physically.
To end this, I thought I’d share a quote that I always keep in the back of my mind: “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest.”- Mark Black.