It sounds like a contradiction doesn’t it? And what exactly is active rest? Essentially it’s doing something you enjoy, like a hobby, and making time for it or scheduling it in. Its something that you might get into that flow state when you do, where you’re concentrating and then suddenly an hour has passed and you can’t believe it, it feels like minutes.
You’re usually doing something that absorbs you, maybe something crafty or dancing or doing yoga, even going for a gentle stroll for example. Active rest helps you to switch off from whatever you’ve been focusing on, whether work or your worries, and helps your brain process the information you’ve been storing up, which is why when you stop trying to solve a problem and go and do something else, you have either a lightbulb moment about how to solve it, or a realisation that it doesn’t really matter anyway.
Active rest isn’t crashing in front of the tv at the end of the night and watching Netflix. That’s passive rest and while I’m sure we can all agree that we need time spent doing that, it’s important to note the distinction.
Active rest is restorative, and you feel better for doing it. When we’re busy and feeling under pressure, we can see these activities as non-essential and deprioritise them, and that’s one of the worst things you can do.
Making time for your hobbies and interests helps you maintain your equilibrium so try and make these plans something you stick to. There’s always more work to do, so having a hard stop because you’ve got a yoga class to get to forces you to make time for it and the benefit you get from it will mean it will be well worth your while.