The Rationale Behind Feelings of Guilt During Idleness: An Examination of the Psychological Aspects of Idle Activities
In today's fast-paced world, the importance of rest is often overlooked, deemed a luxury or weakness by many. This is particularly true for individuals who play dual roles, balancing work and household responsibilities, such as Aisha, a 26-year-old marketing executive at the Himalaya company.
Aisha has been working tirelessly, Monday through Saturday, for the past two years. On Sunday mornings, she often wakes up with a severe headache, a clear sign of mental fatigue. Yet, even when she sits down with a cup of tea, she feels unworthy and ashamed, her inner voice whispering that she should be doing something useful.
This persistent feeling of guilt around rest is a product of internalized capitalism, a phenomenon that shapes individuals' self-perception and productivity in industrial societies. Under this system, people come to view their worth primarily through their economic output and usefulness as workers. As a result, rest and leisure are considered indulgent or even guilty acts, rather than essential parts of human well-being.
This cultural expectation under capitalism, especially in industrial or post-industrial contexts, positions rest as a deviation from the norm. In many cases, people who strongly identify with their job roles tend to struggle more with rest, experience higher rates of burnout, and suffer greater psychological distress when unemployed or underperforming.
However, rest is not just a necessity; it is a right. Recognising this can be the first step towards reclaiming rest without guilt. It is essential to understand that rest is a social and political concession, such as weekends being a "negotiated truce" with capitalism.
Practical ways to reclaim rest without guilt include setting firm boundaries around work and leisure time, cultivating community values or practices that prioritise well-being over economic output, and engaging in critical reflection on how capitalism shapes one's internal narrative about worth and productivity.
In addition, psychological interventions like self-compassion, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based therapies, and relaxation techniques can help individuals challenge their negative thoughts and change them into positive ones. Learning to say NO can also help prevent overcommitment and reduce the risk of burnout.
It is important to remember that rest does not always mean sleeping. It can be reading, walking, creative play, or doing absolutely nothing. The brain uses rest to remember memories, repair neural pathways, and activate the Default Mode Network, which supports self-reflection and creativity. Adequate rest improves not only physical health but also creativity, memory, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.
In conclusion, internalized capitalism conditions individuals to equate their identity and value with productivity, leading to guilt around rest. Reclaiming rest involves both personal boundary-setting and understanding rest as a crucial, rightful component of a balanced life opposed to capitalist imperatives. By taking steps to reclaim rest, individuals can improve their well-being and lead more fulfilling lives.
[1] Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. 1776. [2] Sennett, Richard. The Culture of the New Capitalism. 2006. [3] Thompson, E.P. The Making of the English Working Class. 1963. [4] Gorz, André. Capitalism, Socialism, Ecology: A New Frontier in the Class Struggle. 1980.
- Aisha, balancing work and household responsibilities, finds it hard to rest without feeling guilty due to the internalized capitalist ideology that identifies her worth through her economic output, implying that rest is a luxury rather than a necessity for mental health and overall well-being.
- As Aisha struggles with burnout and psychological distress, engaging in psychological interventions such as self-compassion, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, relaxation techniques, and learning to say 'no' can help her challenge negative thoughts, promoting mental health-and-wellness and offering a path towards reclaiming rest without guilt.
