I've been struggling with the exact same thing! I have become obsessed with being productive, where I realized I can't watch a show or read a book without it being in the language I'm learning so that I can get more vocab. While its great to be ambitious, my therapist has said that I need to relearn how to rest. Thank you for sharing this, its good to know I'm not alone :)
the connotations around “bored” and “rest” (hello, sloth is a deadly sin) are what pushes people to avoid them. what always helps me is to remember that sloth is a deadly sin because it gets in the way of getting stuff done. resting is also what makes pies so good. you have to let it rest when it comes out the oven otherwise the pie is gross and the texture is off. I eat pumpkin pie when it’s cold (: and then I get stuff done…
I related to this so much because I feel like I have to fill every part of my days off with creative projects, getting washing done, running errands but then I feel guilty for just sitting reading when I feel like I should be writing and it’s just a constant cycle of feeling like I’m not doing enough
I'm still definitely trying to figure out how to work through that feeling of "not doing enough" as well. It's a tough one to unlearn because we've been conditioned our whole lives to "do more".
This resonates so much because I'm going through the same thing. Sometimes, I'm tempted to tell myself that time is wasted if I don't work on weekends, but I know rest is important too. So is boredom!
I just graduated and started my job in october. I'm so burnt out after years of stress and anxiety that now that I have a clear end of work time, I seem to not be able to rest. I'm so used to coming home from class and starting actual work that I truly don't know what to do with all those free hours. Your essay made me realise what made me like that, thank you!
Something that has helped me is just keeping a mortar near me and adding things to it. Like okay, I’ll take care of this on Monday. It’s not forgotten!
I loved reading this in the afternoon and have been thinking about it all day. And thank you for writing this and for linking the research paper on boredom; it's great!
As someone who also quit their tech job and digging out of that burnout, I’ve been forcing myself to be bored. It’s honestly so hard and I know my focus is a mess because of it. Thank you for writing about it
It's such an interesting contrast because I can focus on work just fine. Yet when I try to do things for myself, it's so hard to stay consistent. Here's to our journey to healing from corporate <3
I definitely relate to this. I recently started picking up journaling and learning French as a hobby, and those take up time outside of my 9-5. I realized one day that all it took was a shift in perspective to truly appreciate the hobbies i picked up and not see them as additional things that occupy my time.
i relate to sooo much of this. time to get our lives back! boring moments and all. thanks for sharing 🫶
100% agreed! We got this <3
I've been struggling with the exact same thing! I have become obsessed with being productive, where I realized I can't watch a show or read a book without it being in the language I'm learning so that I can get more vocab. While its great to be ambitious, my therapist has said that I need to relearn how to rest. Thank you for sharing this, its good to know I'm not alone :)
My therapist has also been a huge help in my journey of learning how to rest and just be human again. Wishing you the best!!
the connotations around “bored” and “rest” (hello, sloth is a deadly sin) are what pushes people to avoid them. what always helps me is to remember that sloth is a deadly sin because it gets in the way of getting stuff done. resting is also what makes pies so good. you have to let it rest when it comes out the oven otherwise the pie is gross and the texture is off. I eat pumpkin pie when it’s cold (: and then I get stuff done…
LOVE that analogy!!
Love to see an S.T. Gibson reference 🤭
I related to this so much because I feel like I have to fill every part of my days off with creative projects, getting washing done, running errands but then I feel guilty for just sitting reading when I feel like I should be writing and it’s just a constant cycle of feeling like I’m not doing enough
I'm still definitely trying to figure out how to work through that feeling of "not doing enough" as well. It's a tough one to unlearn because we've been conditioned our whole lives to "do more".
you’re not alone. a very relatable read. Thanks for sharing a piece of yourself x
This resonates so much because I'm going through the same thing. Sometimes, I'm tempted to tell myself that time is wasted if I don't work on weekends, but I know rest is important too. So is boredom!
It’s sad to see how many people relate to this 🥺…
thoughtful and relatable, i loved reading this!
I just graduated and started my job in october. I'm so burnt out after years of stress and anxiety that now that I have a clear end of work time, I seem to not be able to rest. I'm so used to coming home from class and starting actual work that I truly don't know what to do with all those free hours. Your essay made me realise what made me like that, thank you!
Hope that awareness helps you figure out how to reclaim some real rest!
Honestly, same. I feel like I’m fighting to rest.
Something that has helped me is just keeping a mortar near me and adding things to it. Like okay, I’ll take care of this on Monday. It’s not forgotten!
I love this!
I definitely typed this half asleep; by mortal I mean a notepad!
I loved reading this in the afternoon and have been thinking about it all day. And thank you for writing this and for linking the research paper on boredom; it's great!
As someone who also quit their tech job and digging out of that burnout, I’ve been forcing myself to be bored. It’s honestly so hard and I know my focus is a mess because of it. Thank you for writing about it
It's such an interesting contrast because I can focus on work just fine. Yet when I try to do things for myself, it's so hard to stay consistent. Here's to our journey to healing from corporate <3
I definitely relate to this. I recently started picking up journaling and learning French as a hobby, and those take up time outside of my 9-5. I realized one day that all it took was a shift in perspective to truly appreciate the hobbies i picked up and not see them as additional things that occupy my time.
oof yes can totally relate to this feeling 🫠 the feeling of guilt for rest is so real
First of all, I love your writing. Second: The whole post is so thoughtful and eye-opening to me, it‘s shocking.
„I wasn’t resting—I was performing a different version of productivity.“
Wow. I will think about this for a little.
That's the greatest compliment! Thanks for taking the time to read it. It was a vulnerable one to write but have been bothering me for way too long.