A Call For Active Rest Days In Your Creative Life

And what to do if a few days off made you lose your momentum

I love long weekends just as much as the next person, but something I’ve realized about weekends in general is that they are where my fear sets down roots. In the middle of growing my podcast, writing, and content creation, even a single day off makes it hard to get back on the horse. Why you may ask? Because I get scared. The inner voice of motivation (and proof of concept of all the ways I’m actually doing the things) is suddenly so quiet that all I can hear is my imposter syndrome, doubts, and self-critique.

This is why, while I’m not a proponent of hustle culture or endless work days, I am becoming a stronger proponent of pouring into your craft daily (a few minutes count), so that fear doesn’t have room to break your habit.

Similar to how I have “active rest days” in my fitness routines, I’ve been trying to apply the same concept to my creative life.

For me, active rest days can look like:

• Writing something just for fun
• Filming something just for fun
• Spending a few minutes brainstorming ideas for the week
• Unpacking an idea that I may have been sitting with for days, but hadn’t had time to dive into
• Taking myself on an artist’s date

I learned about the importance of active rest days because of the many, many times when I took two full days off and felt more afraid than recharged when Monday rolled back around. If after a long weekend, you’re feeling like your motivation is on “E” — here’s what you can do:

• Embrace a small step that you would scoff at on a regular day (I’m talking, writing the title of a blog post kind of small) and do nothing else.
• Watch or read something that will help you feel a sense of creative spark
• Talk to a fellow creative friend about their own creative projects

The path to getting back on the horse doesn’t start with getting back on the horse, but putting on the outfit that you usually wear to go to the stable. You need to feel like a creative so you can do creative things.

What would you add to this list?

I write about creativity, mental health, grief, and how to cope with life’s everyday challenges on VivNunez.com. Listen to my weekly podcast, Happy To Be Here.

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