When people are exhausted, they often tell me they’ve tried resting and it didn’t work. Usually they mean an evening on the sofa with a phone, which can quiet the body while keeping the mind busy.
It helps to think about rest in a few kinds. Physical rest is sleep and slowing down. Mental rest is time without decisions. Social rest is time with people who need nothing from you, or time alone.
Notice which kind you’re short of. Someone whose days are full of meetings might need quiet more than sleep. A parent at home with small children might need adult company more than another early night.
Start small and protect it. Fifteen minutes outside without your phone, a lunch away from your desk, or one evening a week with nothing planned can matter more than the holiday you keep postponing.
If rest no longer seems to help at all, take that seriously. It can be a sign that the pressure itself needs to change, and that is something we can work on together.
This note is general information, not therapy or medical advice. If something here feels close to home, a free call with one of us is a good next step.
