Mental health can be improved by performing and following various self-care activities. Throughout history, those who prioritized relaxation and taking a day off have been treated poorly by society.
Laziness has only been linked negatively to mental well-being and is viewed as a result of poor mental health. Because laziness is regarded as a character flaw, there are numerous derogatory terms for those who are regarded as lazy.
However, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the occasional lazy day can be extremely beneficial. According to various studies, a lazy day has both mental and physical benefits.
Having the occasional lazy day should be a more widespread tradition. Rather than being seen as unproductive, a lazy day should be viewed as a day dedicated to well-deserved idle time and improved mental health.
Mental Health benefits of a lazy day
A lazy day is a day designed to help people rest and recover from the unavoidable stressors of their daily lives. These days can be used to recharge mental and physical batteries in preparation for life's upcoming challenges.
One can use their lazy days to improve their emotional, mental, and physical well-being through quality rest.
1) More time to sleep
Sleep deprivation is a serious problem that can impact not only a person's mental and physical health, but also their overall quality of life. Adequate sleep has numerous mental health benefits, including improved cognitive abilities, improved mood regulation, and decreased feelings of stress and anxiety.
Lazy days are frequently defined by spending the entire day in bed. People should not be afraid of spending time in bed, but rather embrace it. They should keep a sleep journal and use tools such as weighted blankets to ensure that they get enough sleep.
2) Reduce chances of burnout
Burnout is a condition in which people are emotionally, mentally, cognitively, and physically exhausted by their work responsibilities. Most people spend a significant portion of their time at work and, as a result, can easily become burned out.
Work-related responsibilities can cause significant mental anguish if adequate breaks are not taken. People should use their free time to get away from work and all of the negative emotions that come with it.
A lazy day is an excellent tool for regaining control of one's time and body because it allows people to objectively assess how close they are to reaching their breaking point and how to avoid it.
3) Reduced stress and anxiety
The modern world is filled with things that can cause stress and anxiety, such as negative news, online social media harassment, a fast-paced work environment, and excessive time spent online, which has become a fixture of everyone's lives.
These stressors frequently lead to poor mental health and are difficult to avoid because they are frequently linked directly to people's jobs. People can, however, take a well-deserved break from these activities on lazy days and focus on activities that will reduce their stress and anxiety, such as gardening, reading books, gratitude journaling, and yoga.
4) Lazy days gives people's brains time to relax
Lazy days allow people to take a break from their usual mentally and cognitively demanding tasks and give their brains a rest. As these tasks accumulate, people become stuck, distracted, and lose motivation to perform.
This break allows them to regain mental and cognitive capacity while also providing them with a profound sense of self-awareness and an objective perspective on their situation. Lazy days encourage people to stop thinking about the past or the future and instead focus on the present moment.
5) Physical rest
A person's physical and mental health are closely linked to one another. Getting enough quality physical rest is one of the best ways to improve a person's mental state.
The stresses of modern life take a heavy toll on a person's physical well-being without providing them with adequate time to care for it. A lazy day may be exactly what a person requires to improve their overall well-being, such as through light non-taxing exercises like walking.
Lazy days may appear to be a convenient excuse for taking some well-deserved breaks and rest, but research is revealing how beneficial a lazy day is for a person's mental health and well-being.