You Don’t Have to Earn Rest: A Therapist’s Take on Hustle Culture and Burnout
If you’ve ever felt like you need to earn rest, you’re not alone. “Hustle culture” has convinced us that being busy equals being valuable, and that anything less is lazy.
Here’s the truth: rest isn’t a reward. It’s basic human need in order for us to feel our best, and if you want to think of it this way-necessary for us to be our most productive.
And whether you’ve noticed it yet or not, ditching rest for productivity is putting you on a one-way track to burnout.
The feeling of burnout can be similar to that of drowning - hustle culture is screaming so loud at you to be productive, but no one can hear you struggle to stay above water.
The problem is, society has been teaching us the exact opposite, that rest is optional and productivity = worth. So, before we talk about how to build rest into your life, let’s be clear about the messages that hustle culture has been feeding us.
1. Hustle Culture is Lying to You
Hustle culture sells the story that:
Sleep is optional
Your worth comes from what you produce
Resting or taking a break means you’re falling behind, think of how our society views a “gap year” after school
None of the above is true. So forget all that. You’re a human, not a machine. You don’t need to continuing living under the belief that you have to prove your worth.
2. Rest is a Skill, Not a Luxury
Rest isn’t an indulgent gift we can grant ourselves every once in a while. It’s actually necessary for:
Maintaining our ability to regulate ourselves and feel emotional balance
Our focus and decision-making
Creativity
Physical health
When you think you have to earn it, you set yourself up to crash harder and faster. And you continue to instill the belief that you don’t deserve to rest yet.
And here’s the truth - if you’re not used to resting, it can feel… weird. Uncomfortable. Almost like you’re doing something wrong. That’s normal, your brain and body are used to constant output, so slowing down can feel unfamiliar or even a little alarming.
The good news is, rest doesn’t have to be all or nothing. There are small, practical ways to start building it into your day, and that’s exactly what we’re going to cover next.
Small ways to build rest into your day.
3. Simple Ways to Build Rest Into Your Day
Micro-breaks: 5 minutes of stretching, deep breathing, or stepping outside can reset your nervous system.
Work boundaries: Decide start and end times. Turn off notifications when you’re off the clock.
Scheduled downtime (even just 15 minutes): Treat it like a meeting you can’t cancel. Read, nap, walk, meditate - whatever you feel comfortable doing that recharges you.
Check your language: Instead of “I’ll rest when I finish this,” try “I need rest now to function later.”
4. Reframe How You Think About Rest
You don’t need to justify it. You don’t need permission. Rest isn’t lazy, it’s something we need for survival.
Try this mindset shift:
Old: “I don’t deserve this until I finish everything.”
New: “I deserve rest because I am human.”
Here’s the takeaway:
You don’t have to earn rest, and you don’t have to prove your value by being busy all the time.
Rest isn’t optional, it’s essential for our body’s most basic functions, and for performing our best later.
Letting yourself pause? That’s actually radical. (And rad of course :))
A woman feeling free after letting go of society’s expectations of rest and productivity.
