Being lazy usually gets a bad rap—no one wants to be viewed as a lounger instead of a go-getter. But, even if you’re trying to avoid being seen as lazy, the truth is that there are some advantages to it! Here are 15 unexpected perks of being lazy that’ll help you embrace rather than reject those lounge-around days.
1. It zaps stress.
Whether you’re allowing your mind to wander or you’re clearing your mind by focusing on doing fun stuff, you’re giving your body the chance to lower your stress levels. This benefits your mental and physical health, like keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level.
2. It prevents burnout.
When you push yourself too hard to achieve your goals, you risk burning out. Having an unproductive or lazy day now and then can help you enormously by giving you a break from your stress and making you focus on other aspects of your life instead of work.
3. It prevents you from wasting time.
You might think being lazy is a waste of time, but hear me out. Having a slow day can help you focus on what’s really important. It prevents you from wasting energy on things that you don’t have to do.
4. It encourages creativity.
You can’t channel your creativity if you’re always in a stressful frame of mind. Sometimes, you’re more likely to find solutions to problems or come up with a brilliant idea when you do nothing. You might also experience those awesome “aha!” moments. Go on and try it.
5. It makes you more productive.
Do you know how you feel like working out more after you’ve taken a day off or had a cheat day? Well, it’s the same with laziness. When you stop working too hard and you have an escape from your stress, you’ll return to your desk feeling like you’ve come back from the spa. Take a mental health day!
6. It boosts gratitude.
A cool benefit of having lazy days is that it makes you more grateful for what you have. Being lazy helps you stay grounded in the moment so you notice things other people don’t, like the pretty flowers in a park or the cool cloud formation in the sky. It makes you more appreciative of the world around you.
7. It recharges your batteries.
Being lazy means that you take your time to get things done, or sometimes you push tasks aside if you don’t feel like doing them. While that can make you feel guilty, you can also use that time to recharge your energy reserves so you can come back stronger.
8. It keeps you chilled.
Moving slowly can help you to remain calm, so you’re not letting the stress of life throw you off course or negatively impact your health. When you’re relaxed, you also have the chance to boost your thinking ability, which brings us to the next point.
9. It helps you brainstorm solutions.
When you’re not pushing yourself to do too much on your list, you can take better stock of your thoughts and problems. And, when you manage to do this in a relaxed way, you can come up with better solutions and properly think them through.
10. It prevents you from jumping too quickly into situations.
When you’re putting too much pressure on yourself to achieve your goals, you might get stuck in the trap of thinking you have to make big moves all the time, like you’re on Survivor. But, having a lazy day can help you to avoid jumping into situations you later regret. You have more time to suss things out and make wiser decisions.
11. It teaches you to just “be.”
When you feel like you need to stop and restore your energy, you’re giving yourself the chance to just be instead of do, do, do every second of the day. It also means that you’re listening to your body and focusing on your needs. There’s no shame in that!
12. It helps you sit with and articulate your feelings.
Being lazy can help you tune into what you feel about things. You can stop rushing mindlessly through your routine and consider your feelings so you don’t put them on the back burner. Doing this also helps you better express yourself to others.
13. It enables you to enjoy alone time.
If you’re having a lazy day around the house, don’t be hard on yourself by feeling guilty about it. One of the benefits of kicking back on the couch is that you can get comfortable with being alone. You don’t always have to be doing things or being surrounded by people to feel happy and satisfied.
14. It encourages sleeping in.
If you struggle to start your day, it can be healthy to hit the snooze button and sleep in a bit. Why not? It’s good for your health! Sleeping in boosts your energy and helps you feel more rested so you’re not walking around like a zombie.
15. It results in diffuse thinking.
Diffuse thinking is when you let your mind relax and wander. This helps you find creative solutions for problems that you wouldn’t ordinarily have found. Letting your mind navigate can also help you daydream. When was the last time you got to do that?
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