4 Reasons Rest Feels Like Work (and How to Actually Unplug

Rest used to mean doing nothing. Now it’s something we schedule, optimize, and feel guilty about. Whether it’s “productive rest” or “mindful downtime,” we’ve somehow turned relaxing into another performance metric. Here’s why rest feels harder than ever—and how to reclaim it before your burnout gets its own Google Calendar slot.

1. Productivity Culture Rewired Our Brains

We’ve spent years being told our worth equals our output. So when we’re not producing, we feel useless. That’s not laziness—it’s internalized capitalism. Even when we rest, our brains whisper, “Shouldn’t you be doing something?” The result: we rest like we work—strategically, self-consciously, and with one eye on the clock.

2. We’ve Monetized Every Hobby

Reading, painting, baking—these used to be escapes. Now they’re “content opportunities.” When every pastime has the potential to go viral or become a side hustle, rest stops being restorative. Not everything you do needs to scale. The moment you feel like your downtime needs to earn its keep, it’s no longer rest—it’s labor disguised as leisure.

3. The Internet Never Logs Off

Our phones blur every boundary between working, resting, and existing. Even when you’re “off,” you’re still reachable, scrollable, and plugged into the same dopamine loop that drains you in the first place. Psychologists call it continuous partial attention—you’re never fully off, just half-on all the time. The solution? Airplane mode isn’t rude—it’s recovery.