Why You Feel Guilty When You're Not Being Productive — Learning to Feel Good About Rest
It's Saturday afternoon. The laundry is done, the kitchen is clean enough, and for once, there's nothing that absolutely needs your attention. You settle onto the couch with a book and a cup of coffee. And almost immediately, your mind starts making a list. You could organize that drawer. Answer a few emails. Get a head start on next week's responsibilities. Suddenly, sitting still doesn't feel quite so relaxing. It feels like you're wasting time. So you get up and do something. Not because it needs to be done, but because accomplishing something feels better than the discomfort of doing nothing. If that sounds familiar, you might be carrying a kind of guilt you barely recognize anymore. The feeling that you should always be productive. Even when you're tired. Even when you've worked all week. Even when you've finally found a moment to yourself. Sometimes you don't actually want to do more. You just don't know how to feel good about doing less. W...
