Like my poochie baby in this photo, knowing when to rest is not only instinctual but essential.

I used to be a pusher; I would feel good in the moment and exhausted the next day. One of the most challenging lessons for adults is knowing when to rest. Rest is seen as being lazy or not productive when, in all honesty, if we don’t rest, we burn out.

Even now, I still struggle with taking rest days or using PTO. I often feel like I can push through to complete my work, no matter how tired I am. This leads me straight into burnout. I usually end up getting sick. If I had just taken a day off, I would have been fine.

The older I get, the more I realize pushing back rest hurts me more than anything. I’m at a point now where if my body feels tired, I rest; if my intuition tells me to take a rest day, I go for it. I don’t let my Apple Watch shame me into moving or setting unrealistic expectations for myself. I refuse to set myself up for failure later.

I’ve learned through therapy to constantly check in with myself to see how I am feeling so that I don’t crash. When I first started doing this, it felt like a chore and I was babying myself, but honestly, if I don’t baby myself, who else will?

You have to constantly check in on yourself in every situation to make sure that you are always doing what’s best for you. In social situations, I started checking in to see if I was burning myself out. Throughout the day, I would check in to make sure I was eating and hydrating enough. As silly as it sounds, checking in for the small things helps prevent big things from happening.

In what ways can you check in to know when you push forward or rest?

Want more? Check out my last post: https://staygoldensaniha.com/2025/09/23/how-to-stay-motivated-at-a-job-you-only-like-sometimes/