Sometimes we find ourselves counting down the hours until we’re home and back in bed after a busy day, with the thought of the weekend off or our next holiday as our motivation to get through the week. But when we finally have time to sit back and relax and do literally nothing, we don’t. We can’t enjoy that time off because we feel restless, anxious, or even guilty about spending time being unproductive and doing nothing. We often hear criticism that using time off to do absolutely nothing is a waste of time or lazy and we should always be doing something productive in our downtime. We’re expected to always be on the go, constantly on the grind, and if every hour isn’t fully booked or scheduled, then you aren’t doing enough with your time.

But that just isn’t true. We shouldn’t be in a constant state of rush or unease and force ourselves to do something greatly productive with our time for it to be valuable.  In fact, we need those unproductive moments the most because our bodies and minds need a break.

It's okay to take a break and use our time how we want, even if that means using it to do nothing. 

Take a moment to think about how you feel after a busy week, emotional event or a stressful few months. It takes a lot out of us mentally, emotionally and physically. Sometimes all we want to do is stay in our bed and have a break.

And that’s okay.  Give yourself permission to relax and do absolutely nothing and enjoy it.

Benefits of taking lazy days:

Improves Mental Health
Taking lazy days can actually work wonders for our mental health. According to research, “lazy days” give our minds a chance to recover from stress and all the emotions that we build up throughout the week. No matter how stressful or overwhelming your week has or hasn’t been, we all need time to reset, declutter, and let go of all the thoughts swirling around our minds. It is important that we all take a moment to breathe and look after our mental health. Moreover, a build-up of stress and lack of rest can damage our mental and physical well-being, leading to more severe health issues, so setting time aside to do nothing can prevent a build-up of stress and improve your mental well-being. This will help us to feel more refreshed, less stressed, and calmer when we have to go back to our busy daily routine.

Restorative for your Body
We know that it is important for our physical well-being to keep our bodies moving, but everything is about balance, and constantly being on the go needs to be balanced with rest. We aren’t supposed to be on the go all hours of the day, our body needs rest and stay strong and healthy to help us to function when we do have those busy days. Research has also shown that when we sleep for at least 7-8 hours and then take a full day off, we give our body more time to improve muscle tone, and cellular regeneration and restore energy – the energy that we will need to be productive every other day and prevent burn out.

Improved Productivity
Our brain can’t focus all the time, but giving ourselves rest days can increase productivity on the days when we have to focus and work harder. If you can, then take a break on your days off to disconnect from work and everyday life so that when you return you feel refreshed, ready to go, and less exhausted. Taking time to be unproductive and recharged enables us to be more present and motivated when we have to be productive again. There is a lot of research to support taking lazy days, many of them explaining that when we take days to enjoy our own time, we are replenishing our minds, boosting creativity, and creating space to think of new ideas. How can we feel inspired and motivated if we are overworking ourselves and forgetting to live and take a moment to breathe? That’s why mental rest is so important.

Self Care & Self Love
Remember that self-care looks different to everyone and any time spent taking care of yourself is never a waste of time. In a fast-paced world that throws information, expectations, and tasks at you, it's important to take a break to just do you. If you don’t choose when to have a break, then your body will decide for you and that will feel worse. Take time to enjoy your hobbies, favourite shows, and music, cook delicious food, bake, or just enjoy sitting on the couch eating and sleeping – it’s all self-care.  Dedicating time to doing nothing but enjoying your own company can help you find yourself, feel more at peace, and enable you to grow into who you want to be. It's definitely not a waste of time if it helps you to feel healthier and comfortable within yourself.  

To end with a quote,

“Relaxing really is precursor to being more productive. We often think that productivity means to work. It doesn’t. Productivity means making intentional choices towards a goal. And sometimes that choice could be to have a lazy day and replenish. After all, we’re called human beings, not human doings! We weren’t built to go at 100mph 24/7 without stopping to breathe and take in our surroundings. You can optimise your sleep, your food, your gut, your energy - but unless you have some real time off, to sit around and do nothing and reflect and appreciate where you’re at, you’ll never repair or operate properly.”

  - Tim Gray, Psychology and health specialist that emphasises the importance of ”lazy days”
on his Instagram.