Rest is Underrated

So how are you feeling at the start of January?

January has long been associated with productivity, self-improvement and accelerated change. Culturally, it is framed as a reset point: a time to optimise habits, set ambitious goals and establish momentum for the year ahead.

The difficulty is that this expectation is largely disconnected from how humans and systems in nature actually regenerate.

January arrives after a period of social intensity, disrupted routines and excessive stimulation. For many people, energy reserves are already low. When this is met with pressure to perform, refine or push ahead, it often results in short-term effort that cannot be sustained through the remaining winter months.

This isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a timing problem.

In nature, winter is not a period of visible growth, but a time of consolidation. Energy is conserved, not expended. Processes occur below the surface so that when conditions are right, growth can occur without force.

We as humans operate in much the same way.

When January is approached as a time for output rather than restoration, productivity may increase briefly, but before we know it this borrowed energy can lead to fatigue, disengagement and a sense of failure. We chastise ourselves for having no discipline, not enough motivation and a lack of commitment.

What if instead we treated January as a period of intentional replenishment, placing more emphasis on rest, slower daily rhythms and nervous system regulation so that energy is rebuilt? Practices that are mindful and grounding can support this process. When the time is right, energy can then arise naturally, focus can return and motivation becomes intrinsic rather than forced.

Spring growth that follows a well-nourished winter feels fundamentally different. It requires less effort and is far more likely to last. Seen in this way, rest in January is not a rejection of progress, but a prerequisite for it.