The school year ends, the alarm clocks get switched off, and suddenly it’s summer. You’d think we’d all breathe a sigh of relief.
Instead, we jump straight into: what are we doing this summer?”, “should we revise a bit every day?” “maybe we should book a few activities to keep them occupied and before long, the calendar’s full, the kids are tired, and everyone’s wondering where the actual holiday went.
Here’s something we don’t say enough: rest isn’t lazy. It’s a life skill. Most of us never learned it.
“I Feel Weird Doing Nothing…”
That’s what one student told us last summer, two weeks after finishing his exams. He wasn’t bored. He wasn’t sad. He just didn’t know what to do with free time that wasn’t scheduled, productive, or useful.
His mum said the same thing. “I get twitchy if I’m not ticking something off a list, so I end up creating things to worry about. It’s like… I don’t know how to just be.”
We know how to be busy. We know how to chase goals but we’re not teaching our young people how to pause and more importantly, how to feel okay about it.
What “Rest” Actually Means
Most of us think of rest as sleeping late or lying on the sofa and yes, that’s part of it but real rest goes deeper.
It’s things like:
- Mental rest – putting the phone away, sitting in silence, letting the brain breathe.
- Creative rest – doodling, writing, baking, building things without needing it to be perfect.
- Emotional rest – time with people who don’t expect anything from you.
- Sensory rest – less screen-time, more green-time.
- Social rest – not having to perform or explain yourself.
For a lot of students, especially the driven ones this kind of rest feels unfamiliar. Sometimes even uncomfortable. Which is exactly why they need it.
Why It Matters
We work with teens all year, and one thing we’ve noticed. A lot of them come back after summer more exhausted.
Not because they’ve been doing too little but because they never switched off properly.
They were revising, or scrolling through Tik Tok endlessly, or socialising non-stop, or trying to make the most of every moment.
One of our mentees told us, “It’s like my brain didn’t shut up the whole summer. I was constantly thinking about school starting again, even when I was supposed to be relaxing.”
That kind of mental overload doesn’t just affect mood. It chips away at confidence, motivation, and focus. It’s burning in slow motion.
What Can We Do Differently?
Here’s how we can shift the way we think about rest as parents, mentors, and students.
1. Call It What It Is
Rest isn’t something you “earn” by working hard. It’s part of the process. If you say it out loud “We’re resting this week. That’s the plan.” you give permission for that time to matter.
2. Build Little Rituals
This doesn’t mean scheduling every moment. But try gentle habits that slow things down:
- No phones before 10am.
- Evening walks after dinner.
- Drawing for 20 minutes with lo-fi music on.
They’re tiny, but they help shift the pace.
3. Protect The ‘Boring’ Time
It’s okay if your child says, “I’m bored.” Don’t rush to fix it. Boredom is often the gateway to curiosity and creativity.
4. Model It Yourself
Kids notice everything. If you’re always rushing, always working, never sitting down without a screen, they’ll pick up the message that rest isn’t valuable. Show them otherwise. Read a book. Nap unapologetically. Talk about what rest does for you.
5. Balance Matters More Than Plans
Yes, revision can still happen, but it doesn’t need to rule the summer. A calm, recharged brain learns faster and better. Focus on energy, not just effort.
We spend so much time preparing students for the academic world exams, deadlines, achievement. The truth is, the world they’re stepping into will demand something else too: resilience, self-awareness. The ability to pause, recover, and keep going.
Maybe this summer, the most powerful thing we can teach isn’t algebra or essay writing. It could be how to breathe. How to do nothing, without feeling guilty. How to rest and come back stronger because success isn’t just about what we know. It’s about how well we look after ourselves while we’re learning it.