By Ananya Lele

What a strange title, you might think! You will soon see why I chose it.

Okay, so tell me, when was the last time you went for a walk or a run without your headphones? No music. No podcast. No voice talking to you while you walk.

I asked myself this recently, and honestly, I couldn’t remember. Silence feels strange now. Almost uncomfortable and empty. So, we fill it, automatically. And we don’t even notice how often we’re doing that.

From the moment we wake up, something is asking for our attention. Notifications, screens, thoughts. Even before we step out of bed, thoughts rush in, pulling us into the day while the body is still waking up, not yet given the time it needs to settle. And then somewhere during the day, the body slows down, you don’t feel like moving or doing things, you sit longer than you have planned. And then the thought appears, “Something is wrong with me” or “I am lazy!”

What we call ‘laziness’ could be ‘Overwhelm’ or ‘Overstimulation’.

There is a natural rise in cortisol in the early morning that helps us get going. But in modern life, stress can often push this state further than needed. Staying in it repeatedly is what eventually feels like overwhelm and overstimulation. With constant input from the outside world, the body remains in a state of alertness much of the time.

So, if you relate to this, then maybe you just don’t need rest but small moments where the body doesn’t have to process, react or perform. These ‘breaks’ can be anything from creative activities to simply sitting quietly and doing nothing, from a walk without the headphones to slow and mindful movement or breath-focused practices. What matters isn’t the activity, but the feeling of being ‘unrushed’ while doing it! So, the next time your body refuses to keep up, take it as a sign that it is asking you to listen. But don’t wait for things to reach that point knowing what overstimulation does, begin taking these small breaks in between, regularly.

So, the title doesn’t seem that strange now, does it? Take a break, a pause after reading this. Listen. Feel. Let things settle, then resume.