Why Doing Nothing This Christmas Might Be the Best Gift You Can Give Yourself
Family trips, new hobbies, skill building and catching up on their 'to-be-read' pile on their bedside tables were all on people's to-do lists. It was clear that the participants in the room were oscillating between wanting to rest and wanting to use the time off from the grind to develop and grow.
For the sort of ambitious, growth-minded individuals who naturally self-select when they join my CFO Boardroom program, it's natural for my clients to ask themselves, "How do I build capacity within myself over the Christmas break to take on bigger things in the new year?"
My answer? By doing nothing at all.
The Christmas break presents an opportunity, sometimes your only opportunity all year, to recharge, recalibrate, and allow your brain to do its best heavy lifting. All whilst vegetating on the couch.
When I trained as a run leader, one of the first lessons I learned was that rest days are just as critical as training days. Your muscles don't grow stronger while you're running - they grow during the recovery period afterward.
The same is true for your brain.
Years ago, I learned this lesson the hard way. I booked a stay at the Golden Door health retreat, intending to "relax." But instead of resting, I treated it like I was training to go into battle. Tai chi at dawn, a circuit class after breakfast, HIIT classes at mid-morning, hikes after lunch, and aqua aerobics in the afternoon. By the time I left, I was burnt out - irritable, depleted, and creatively drained.
I'd turned what should have been a period of restoration into yet another exercise in overachievement.
Neuroscience explains why I felt so terrible.
It's the state you enter when daydreaming, meditating, or drifting off to sleep - moments when your mind connects dots and percolates the thoughts and ideas that live just below the surface, ready to pop into your head whilst you're in the shower and have you lunging for a notepad (I keep a Shower Mate Waterproof Notepad in the shower for this exact reason).
Research has shown that during rest, our brain consolidates information and strengthens neural pathways.
A study at the University of California demonstrated that the nap you take between trips to the fridge to load up on cold ham and leftover potato salad improves memory retention and problem-solving skills by up to 40%.
Another study led by Dr. Maiken Nedergaard at the University of Rochester Medical Center revealed that during sleep, the brain's glymphatic system becomes highly active, allowing cerebrospinal fluid to flush out toxins that accumulate during wakefulness. This process is crucial for clearing waste products, including those associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's .
Rest can improve your physical health too. According to the Sydney University Faculty of Medicine and Health, regular relaxation can lower your blood pressure, reduce inflammation, delay the onset and progression of disease, reduce duration of illness and hasten a return to better health. It can even decrease anxiety and improve mood.
That's a pretty compelling argument in favour of taking to the couch!
2,500 years later, this remains a hard sell for many of us. We still think that we have to engineer and force our own growth.
Whilst it's true that we have to set aside the time for rest, we also have to have a bit of faith in the process.
Much like a plant grows naturally in between planting and harvest - when it's nurtured but not constantly tended - our minds need space to flourish.
In his book Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, Wayne Dyer writes:
Dyer argues that when we allow ourselves to step back and stop overthinking, our brain naturally activates the default mode network (DMN), the part of the brain that becomes active during rest.
His insights highlight that rest is not the opposite of productivity but a necessary ingredient in it.
That's why this Christmas, I'll be heading to the same beachside retreat my family visits every year.
As you look toward the holiday season, ask yourself:
What would a truly restful New Year's break look like for you?
How might you create space for creativity and clarity in the run up to 2025?
I'd love to hear your thoughts...
Author: Alena Bennett
Alena works with leaders and their teams to connect technical and leadership skills so they can deliver to deadline without killing their people.
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