It's the 10% Happier Podcast.

I'm Dan Harris.

Hello, my fellow suffering beings, how we doing? I shouldn't have to make this argument, but here goes.

If you want to be more productive, you need more rest. The reason I shouldn't have to make this argument is that you

shouldn't need me or anybody to give you permission to rest. But that's what happens when you live in an optimization and productivity-obsessed culture

where many of us wear our busyness as a badge of honor.

I'm not being judgmental here.

I occasionally can be one of those people.

But anyway, what I said at the beginning is true.

In order for your brain to function at its best, you really do need to give it breaks.

Rest can lower your blood pressure and your heart rate and boost your concentration and resilience.

So you can choose your motivation for rest because you want to boost your productivity or because you just plain deserve it as a human being.

Anyway, both are true.

So today we're going to talk about

how to get over your guilt and weave more rest into your day. My guest is Claudia Hammond,

who's an award-winning broadcaster, author, and psychology lecturer. She hosts several BBC

podcasts, including All In The Mind and Health Check on BBC World Service.

She's written many books, including the one we will discuss today, which is called The Art of Rest, How to Find Respite in the Modern Age.

In this conversation, we cover how to define rest, the health risks of fatigue, why your rest is more effective if you don't feel guilty about it, why watching TV can be so restful in moderation,

why taking breaks should not be considered a reward, how to create your own personal

prescription for rest, why a resting state for the brain is actually quite active, the restful

active daydreaming when, and this is key, when it doesn't lead to ruminating, heat therapies

...