Relearning how to rest in health care

HN Summary

• Many health-care professionals struggle to feel restored, even during time off, due to prolonged stress and hypervigilance.

• Rest involves more than sleep and may require mental, emotional, sensory and social recovery.

• Relearning how to rest is essential for sustaining resilience and capacity in caring professions.

Why time off doesn’t always feel restorative — and what actually helps.

For many health-care professionals, rest has become something to “catch up on” rather than something to experience. It is squeezed into days off, postponed until vacations, or measured in hours of sleep between shifts. And yet, even after time away from work, many return feeling no more restored than when they left.

This disconnect has become increasingly common across Canada’s health-care system. Nurses, physicians, allied health professionals and support staff report exhaustion that sleep alone does not resolve. The issue is not a lack of time off, but a deeper challenge: many health-care workers have forgotten how to truly rest.

When time off doesn’t feel like recovery

Health-care work demands constant vigilance, emotional regulation and responsibility for others’ lives. Even outside of work, that heightened state often lingers. The nervous system stays alert. The mind replays decisions, conversations and near-misses. As a result, time away from work may look like rest on paper, but feel mentally busy and emotionally draining.

This is why a week of vacation can pass without a sense of renewal. Rest is not simply the absence of work; it is the presence of recovery. Without intentional recovery, days off can become filled with errands, family obligations, digital overload and the pressure to “make the most” of limited free time.

For many health-care professionals, rest also feels undeserved. The culture of caring for others first can make stillness feel selfish. When colleagues are short-staffed and patients are waiting, slowing down can trigger guilt rather than relief.

Why health care makes rest feel unsafe

In high-stakes environments, being “on” is a survival skill. Over time, that constant readiness becomes habitual. The body learns that slowing down equals vulnerability. Rest, paradoxically, can feel uncomfortable or even anxiety-provoking.

This is not a personal failure. It is a predictable response to prolonged stress. When the nervous system has spent months or years in a heightened state, rest must be relearned gradually. Expecting instant relaxation can lead to frustration and self-blame when it doesn’t happen.

Redefining what rest actually means

Rest is often equated with sleep, but sleep is only one form of recovery. Health-care professionals may need multiple types of rest, including:

• Mental rest: quieting constant problem-solving and decision-making

• Emotional rest: spaces where no one needs anything from you

• Sensory rest: relief from noise, screens and stimulation

• Social rest: time away from roles that require empathy or leadership

• Creative rest: engaging with beauty, nature or curiosity without productivity goals

Recognizing which type of rest is missing can be more helpful than simply trying to “relax.”

Small shifts that make rest possible

Relearning how to rest does not require major life changes. Small, intentional shifts can help retrain the nervous system and make recovery more accessible.

Lower the bar for rest.

Rest does not need to be perfect or long. Ten quiet minutes without stimulation can be restorative. Let go of the idea that rest must look a certain way to “count.”

Create a transition ritual.

Many health-care workers carry work home psychologically. A simple ritual — a walk, a shower, changing clothes, deep breathing in the car — can signal the end of the workday and help the body shift gears.

Protect at least one pocket of non-productive time.

Not every free moment needs to be optimized. Allowing time with no agenda helps counter the constant output required at work.

Notice what drains versus restores.

Scrolling, binge-watching or multitasking may feel numbing but not replenishing. Pay attention to what genuinely leaves you feeling steadier or calmer afterward.

Set boundaries around recovery, not just work.

Just as shifts and meetings are scheduled, recovery needs protection. This may mean saying no to additional commitments during already demanding periods.

Letting go of guilt

One of the biggest barriers to rest in health care is guilt — guilt for needing it, guilt for taking it, guilt for enjoying it. But rest is not a reward for endurance; it is a requirement for sustainability.

Caring professions depend on regulated nervous systems, clear judgment and emotional capacity. Without recovery, even the most dedicated professionals are at risk of becoming depleted, detached or unwell.

Reframing rest as part of professional responsibility — rather than personal indulgence — can help shift this mindset.

A skill worth relearning

Rest is not something health-care professionals have lost forever. It is a skill that can be rebuilt, gently and imperfectly, over time.

In a system that often asks for more than it gives, relearning how to rest is not about stepping away from care. It is about preserving the capacity to continue.

For health-care workers across Canada, rest is not a luxury. It is a form of care — for themselves, their colleagues and the patients who depend on them.