Why We Forgot How to Rest (And How to Reclaim It)
In a world that prioritizes productivity and constant busyness, many of us have forgotten how to rest.
In this post, I want to explore:
How Sundays used to be communal days of rest
How commercialization and staggered shifts disrupted our free time
And, most importantly, how you can reclaim rest and leisure in your own life
Because the truth is, learning how to rest isn’t just personal—it has ripple effects on our families, communities, and society as a whole.
When Sundays Were Sacred (Without Being Religious)
For those of you born later, like me—I’m a 1992 baby—you may not remember that Sundays used to be true days of rest.
Yes, there were religious roots to this, but outside of church, society treated Sundays as sacred. In Canada and the US, most stores were closed. You couldn’t shop, you couldn’t hustle—it was simply a day off.
When I’ve asked people who were young adults back then what Sundays looked like, the answers were so simple:
Sleeping in
Taking naps
Going for walks
Puttering in the garden
Baking bread
Visiting family and friends
Because everyone had the same day off, community and togetherness were built right into the rhythm of life.
I don’t remember those exact days, but I do remember the quietness of my own childhood—the slower pace that has mostly disappeared today.
The Pandemic Showed Us Something Familiar
Interestingly, many people say the only time they felt that kind of collective pause again was in 2020 during the pandemic.
Everything shuttered down. Suddenly, we all had free time—and collectively, we didn’t know what to do with it.
I was finishing my master’s degree then, and I remember crocheting a scarf for my dog because I didn’t know what else to do. (Day 5 of quarantine: me, my dog, and a scarf she did not ask for.)
We’d been crying out for free time, and when we finally got it, we panicked. Instead of leaning into leisure, many of us filled it with “improvement projects”—fitness challenges, new languages, side hustles. It’s almost like we were scared of aimless time.
That fear of empty hours is actually what pushed society toward shopping on Sundays in the first place. Some people found quiet Sundays boring, so consumer culture swooped in to fill the gap.
The Cost of Commercializing Rest
When Sundays opened up for shopping, something deeper shifted.
It wasn’t just about buying things—it changed how we live and work. Suddenly, half the population was working to entertain the other half. That meant staggered shifts, fractured schedules, and less time off together.
The result? Loneliness.
Think about how hard it is now to plan time with friends. One person’s working late shifts, another’s on weekends, another’s juggling kids. The joke online that it takes a year to schedule one dinner with friends? It’s not a joke—it’s our reality.
We lost the built-in togetherness that communal rest days gave us. And without it, connection takes so much more effort—and when you’re already exhausted, that effort feels impossible.
What the Pandemic Taught Us About Slowing Down
But here’s the thing: during that forced slowdown in 2020, many of us realized something important.
Productivity for productivity’s sake is not the point of life.
There’s more to existence than work.
Presence—with ourselves, our families, with nature—matters.
We saw it in the clearer skies, the return of animals to quiet places, and in our own mental clarity.
And once you glimpse a different way of living, it’s hard to unsee it. That’s why so many people resisted returning to “business as usual.” Because they realized that “usual” wasn’t working.
How to Reclaim Rest and Leisure in Your Own Life
So what now? If society isn’t going to hand us rest, we have to create it ourselves.
Here’s how:
1. Create Boundaries Around Your Time
If you want leisure, you need to prioritize it. That means saying no, protecting your time, and sometimes disappointing people.
2. Seek Out Connection Intentionally
It’s harder to connect with friends than it used to be—but it’s not impossible. For me, that looks like:
Inviting a friend over to play Uno after my daughter’s bedtime
Staying a little longer at the gym just to chat
Attending women’s networking events to be around others
3. Redefine What Counts as “Doing Something”
We don’t always need to have a plan. Some of the best conversations I’ve had with friends came from simply sitting together and talking. We need to bring back puttering.
4. Believe Change is Possible
If you can’t imagine rest or freedom for yourself, you’ll never create it. I’ve seen this in my therapy and mentorship work—clients often believe their anxious, scarcity-driven life is the only option.
But once they see a different way, they begin to shift. And when one person changes, it impacts everyone around them—their partner, kids, friends, and community.
Change starts with one person. Let that person be you.
Rest Is Where Freedom Begins
Rest and leisure aren’t luxuries. They’re the foundation for clarity, connection, and freedom.
Without them, you can’t truly know what you want or create the life you dream of.
So my invitation to you: take a moment to reflect.
What would reclaiming rest look like in your life?
How can you create more aimless time, more puttering, more presence?
I’d love to hear your thoughts—share them in the comments below or let me know how you’re making rest part of your daily rhythm.
Watch the full video version of this blog here: We Forgot How to Rest—Here’s How to Get It Back