Learning to Rest when you're mentally exhausted

Let’s be honest: many high achievers are absolutely terrible at resting.

You sit down for ten minutes and instantly think, “I should be doing something.” Your brain goes into overdrive, thinking up all the things you could be doing. Should be doing. And up you get, to dive into the 'busy work'. You finally close the laptop, only to spend the evening scrolling your phone until midnight.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

While the world throws us never-ending information, stimulus, requests and expectations - we've learnt never to stop, or reboot. We've been conditioned to just keep striving for the holy grail of what it might feel like to be 'on top of things'.

Somewhere along the way, we started treating rest like a guilty pleasure instead of a necessity. As if pausing makes us lazy, indulgent, or - the ultimate insult in high-performing circles - 'unproductive.'

Here’s the truth: rest isn’t the opposite of productivity. Rest is what makes productivity possible.

If you're Mentally Exhausted, Reclaim your Rest

So let’s flip the script. Rest isn’t indulgence – it’s fuel. Reclaiming your rest means seeing it for what it really is: essential, not optional.

Think of yourself like a phone battery. You wouldn’t expect your phone to keep running at 1% charge – you’d plug it in. But when our own batteries are in the red and we're mentally exhausted or depleted, we often keep pushing, hoping sheer willpower will make up the difference.

It doesn’t.

Reclaiming your rest isn’t about giving up. It’s about plugging in. It’s the fuel that allows you to keep going, sustainably, without hitting the wall.

And here’s the thing: when your device has gone too long without being switched off, it starts to slow down, freeze, or glitch. It needs a reset. That’s what burnout is – the point where your system forces a hard shutdown. You don’t want it to get to that point.

The different kinds of rest

Rest isn’t just about lying on the sofa (though that absolutely counts). There are different kinds of rest, and sometimes what we need most isn’t sleep - it’s switching off in other ways throughout the day.

A few to consider:

• Physical rest: sleep, naps, stretching, movement that restores instead of depletes.

• Mental rest: switching off the constant chatter in your head (try journaling, meditation, or even just doodling).

• Sensory rest: stepping away from screens, notifications, and noise.

• Emotional rest: giving yourself permission to stop people-pleasing and just be.

• Creative rest: letting yourself play, daydream, or enjoy beauty for its own sake.

Often, the burnout cycle continues not because we’re not sleeping enough (though that matters), but because other types of rest are being completely ignored.

Micro-rests count too

Rest doesn’t have to mean booking a yoga retreat or disappearing for a week (lovely as that sounds). You can weave recovery into your day in micro-moments:

• Two minutes of deep breathing before your next meeting.

• Stepping outside for fresh air instead of scrolling.

• Closing your eyes at your desk for thirty seconds (yes, even that helps).

• Saying “no” to something that drains you.

Tiny rests, repeated consistently, add up.

Ask yourself: What kind of rest am I craving right now?

It might not be sleep. It might be quiet, or laughter, or switching off your notifications for an hour.

Whatever it is - honour it. That’s not laziness, that’s wisdom. And it might just be the smartest investment you make this week.

The bottom line

Rest is not a luxury. It’s not a weakness. And it’s definitely not laziness.

It’s the foundation that allows you to show up with energy, clarity, and focus. Without it, burnout creeps closer. With it, you build resilience.

So this week, I challenge you: give yourself permission to rest. Not because you’ve “earned” it, but because you need it.

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If you’ve read this far and realised that your battery is already flashing red, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Book a call with me and I'll show you how I can help you to reset, reboot and revive.