Prevent Burnout With These 8 Kinds of Rest [#18]

Most people don’t prioritize rest. “Hustle culture” in the Western world teaches us to push more, to make more, to cross our internal boundaries to serve the interest of profit.

A recent study reveals that 83% (!) of workers globally feel some degree of burnout (Workforce Trends Report 2026).

This is crazy. More than 8 out of 10 people feel burned out.

It’s difficult to live joyfully when you feel that drained.

At the root of burnout is the extractive system that converts “human resources”, materials, and energy into profit. This is what will change. Either due to depletion of resources or because better systems emerge that make the old system obsolete.

Systems change when a critical mass of participants of the system choose differently from what the system teaches. For example, ditching corporate life to live in the countryside, working less, and producing your own food.

But not everyone is ready for that or privileged enough to do it.

So, one thing you can try to prevent burning out or feeling depleted is to rest properly.

I can’t stress the importance enough. Feeling stressed all the time is wreaking havoc on our system.

If your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight system) is constantly engaged, you can’t make good decisions.

And for systems change, we need people to make good, ideally ​​morally ambitious​​, decisions in these times.

“The times are urgent, let us slow down.” - Pierre Rabhi

As pointed out in the ​​last article on cycles​​, rest is a natural part of life.

Take a stroll to the local forest, and you will see how most plants are in deep rest mode now during winter.

One profound learning of the last years is that there exist different kinds of rest.

Depending on your personality or work, you might need a different rest than sleep.

To inspire your rest routine, here are the types with some examples:

Physical Rest

Physical rest is usually what comes to mind when you think about rest.

Whether it’s some gentle stretching or a nap, physical rest allows your muscles to recover, replenishes energy stores in the body, and decreases the risk of injury and fatigue.

So if you feel physically drained, pause and rest.

But when you sit at a desk in front of a screen all day, this is usually not the rest that you need.

Mental / Cognitive Rest

Give your brain a break from time to time.

By stepping away from concentrated work, problem‑solving, or scrolling on your phone, you can improve attention, reduce mental fatigue, boost creativity, and support emotional regulation.

Ideas for implementation range from meditation and mindfulness to brief daydreaming or simply looking away from a monitor for a few minutes.

As a general rule, take 5–10 minute mental breaks every hour of intense focus. It can be as simple as getting up, walking around, and looking outside the window.

Take a deep breath and notice what’s around you.

Active Rest

This seems counterintuitive, but it works wonders.

Often, we feel tired because we don’t move enough. Moving trains the heart to pump blood through our body.

Weak heart = feeling tired.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a quick workout, a long walk, going swimming, or a few minutes on the jumping rope. What matters is that you move consistently.

Especially after screen work, active rest resets your brain and brings you into the body again. Afterwards, you are more present and less at work with my thoughts.

Try whatever works for you. Start small.

Emotional Rest

If you feel emotionally confused or overwhelmed, this is the cure.

Emotional rest is the practice of allowing yourself to experience and process feelings without the pressure to immediately “fix” them.

Activities like journaling, talking with a trusted friend about how you feel, or simply sitting with your emotions in a non‑judgmental way can help you become more emotionally intelligent and create clarity.

A walk (without your phone) can already do the trick. You will notice that your emotions either have waned or feel much clearer after.

Regular brief emotional check‑ins (often just five minutes a day) can lower stress, prevent emotional burnout, and foster healthier relationships with yourself and others.

I often invite that practice at the beginning of meetings that I lead. Try it out.

Social Rest

Even though we are social animals, we sometimes need time alone or with a trusted person.

Social Rest means stepping back from draining interpersonal interactions or gatherings, especially those that feel obligatory or conflict‑heavy. It requires strong boundaries and saying no, even though the social norm or expectation might be the opposite.

Sensory Rest

Sometimes input to the senses can be too much, and you need a rest.

Reducing exposure to overwhelming stimuli such as bright lights, loud noises, or constant digital notifications helps calm the nervous system, improve focus, and lower anxiety.

Strategies can include silencing smartphone notifications, using noise‑cancelling headphones, or spending time in nature.

Short sensory breaks throughout the day, plus longer tech‑free periods (like an evening without devices or a day on the weekend), can do wonders to help you rest and recover.

Creative Rest

When you think of rest, this type usually doesn’t come to mind.

Creative rest means engaging in activities that spark inspiration without the pressure to produce something tangible.

Watching a film, listening to music, reading a poem, visiting a museum, or simply wandering without a specific goal can serve this purpose.

Taking occasional creative breaks—perhaps once a week or whenever you feel blocked—recharges imagination, helps overcome creative stagnation, and can lead to fresh ideas.

It’s good advice to schedule some creative rest every week, so you really do it. (And of course, leave your phone out of it.)

Sleep

Sleep is the ultimate rest. The other ones don’t matter so much if you skip this one.

Most adults need roughly 7–9 hours of sleep, and occasional short naps of 20–30 minutes during the day can provide additional restorative benefits.

Whenever I get to take a nap during the day, I feel like I get two days in one.

Quality sleep is essential for memory consolidation, hormone regulation, immune system function, and overall cellular repair.

When you realize that rest is an integral part of life, you can use it to become more resilient and present.

I know life is busy, but rest is essential to actually enjoying it.

Combine different types of rest in activities: e.g., Mental, Social, Sensory, and Active Rest by going on a walk in nature or Creative and Social Rest by engaging in a creative hobby alone.

Becoming good at resting is simultaneously a practice in setting and committing to personal boundaries that serve your mental and emotional health.

Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s the basis that lets you build a joyful life.

By matching the right kind of pause to what you’re feeling in the moment, you’ll notice:

• Sharper focus after your mental breaks.
• A steadier mood when you acknowledge your emotions.
• Higher energy from regular active, physical, and sleep rest.
• Deeper connections with the people you care about when you protect your social bandwidth.

Systemic transformation requires deep listening, to ourselves, to others, and to the living systems we are part of. That is only possible when you take a break.

The world is changed one action at a time. Let rest be one of these.

Happy regenerating,

Jonas