Many think work is being active and rest is being inactive.
Work is activity for the purpose of being productive.
Rest is activity for the purpose of being restored.
What activities restore you?
Jeremy Pryor
I once asked a few students “How would you spend your time if you had an entire day dedicated to rest?”
Half of their answers took on some form of lounging (Netflix, video games, sleeping, etc.). The other half were more active (riding bikes, fishing, hunting, etc.). The room wrestled for a minute with how both of those lists, particularly the more active one, could be considered rest.
Jeremy’s explanation captures it perfectly “Rest is activity for the purpose of being restored.”
I think for many people when we get to the end of a crazy day, we’re looking to essentially check out. Whether this means binging your streaming service of choice or doom scrolling to your heart’s desire, we default to activities that require nothing from us.
I’m sure there’s a healthy place for mentally checking out and lounging, but if those activities don’t actually restore us, we’re short-changing ourselves. We trade being restored and reenergized for a brief respite.
What activities leave you feeling restored, rested, and ready to reengage?