Last week, I wrote an article about being more intentional with our time and some tips on how to do so. This article will be preaching the oppositeā¦
Hustle culture is a culture of intense productivity: always working towards your goal, utilising every moment of free time to do so. Some ways to do this is to work while eating. Take breakfast on the go. Take your laptop out for some quick work on the commute. āHustle Cultureā attempts to encroach on every moment of our lives to be productive and ultimately reach success. As Molly-Mae Hague and Kim Kardashian have said, we all have the same twenty-four hours a day. But does every hour need to be spent āgrindingā? What is so wrong with resting?
This toxic culture of productivity, which demands the trade of time for labour in the pursuit of success, demonises rest. To rest is wasted time. Considering the current economic climate, the appeal is understandable, especially when coupled with the capitalist myth of meritocracy (aka hard work = success). But this article is not original. You can search up āHustle Cultureā and there will be a plethora of articles highlighting the burnout, anxiety and toxicity of the never-ending cycle of productivity. Yet, I want to talk about rest and the importance of recharging ourselves in an increasingly chaotic world.Ā Ā
I ended my previous article, specifying that productivity is an āinvestmentā towards our future. So too is rest. How else are you expected to carry on completing the long, endless list of what you need to do if your body and brain are on the verge of collapsing?
Many research articles, such as that by Reddy and Van der Warf, have shown that sleeping is essential, not just for energy, but also for removing toxins from the brain. Imagine your brain is a room. The room naturally accumulates dust and dirt throughout the day, like the brain does after a full day. If we do not clean the room, the dust and dirt start to attach and stain the floors and walls, making it extremely difficult to remove. But if we maintain a habit of cleaning this room every day, itāll stay clean, much like the brain. Getting a healthy 7-9 hours of sleep every day helps keep those bad toxins away. It is easy to sacrifice sleep when you have a growing to-do list to complete. Still, I donāt think the loss of brain cells from inadequate sleep, which then leads to significantly increased chances of developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinsonās disease, sounds appealing to anyone. So keep that brain clean and get that sleep!
Although resting isnāt simply sleeping or lying down. It is also about reconnecting with yourself when you have been so disconnected. It can take multiple forms, whether it is hanging out with friends (for extroverts like me) or a night in watching movies (for introverts) or evenā¦ scrolling on TikTok. However, I find that after a long day of work, my brain needs to relax, just as my body does. Scrolling and watching trivial content requires very little brain power, which allows it to rest.
If anything, now is the perfect time to prioritise resting. I typically dread autumn, because it means that winter, therefore the cold, the dark and the rain, is on its way. However, I recently started reframing the way I view winter, which has helped me battle the dread I feel.
Winter is the time for hibernation. Like bears, squirrels, and chipmunks, humans are animals. And what do bears, squirrels and chipmunks do? They hibernate. Ergo, bring your comfiest blanket out, make the hottest tea and watch the most cliche movie you unashamedly love! Winter calls for these things and more. This does not mean I will abandon my responsibilities, but it does mean I have taken a notable shift towards taking a rest. Let this winter be the perfect time to reconnect with yourself, so you can come back stronger than ever.