To achieve any dream or goal, you have to put in the work.
You want to ace that test? You study. You want to get into your dream university? You give them the best damn application you can. You want to get that dream job? You put in the hours, you make the best resume, and you go into that interview with your head held high. But you know what you don’t do?
In any of these scenarios, when you are working towards any life goal big or small, you do not burn yourself out. You do not drain yourself of all your energy, you do not exhaust yourself of any life, because you will feel nothing when you reach your goal. You won’t be able to dance or scream or cry tears of joy—you will just want to go to sleep. And would all the hours you put in be worth it? No. Because here’s the truth that everyone seems to overlook.
There are productive days and then there are rest days. You cannot hustle 24 hours straight for seven days a week. You need rest. And you need to stop bullying yourself for taking the rest. You need to stop treating rest as a sign of weakness and stop feeling guilty for taking the rest. And don’t you dare compare the amount of rest you need to another person in your life, because what you are going through is different to them and everyone’s rest looks different. The whole point of resting is to take care of yourself, so stop concerning yourself with how it may look to others or what others are doing and take the rest.
Because the rest days are even more important than the productive days. Because without the rest days, you wouldn’t have the productive days.
You would not get the promotion or the new internship without the rest. You wouldn’t ace your exams or qualify for graduate school without the rest. Stop romanticizing working yourself to death, because it isn’t cute or pretty, it’s wrong. It’s not romance, it’s horror. So it’s time. Take the damn rest.
Say a prayer, chant a mantra, spray some lavender mist, close your eyes, and take the rest.