Laziness: A Love Story

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

It started out as nothing more than a summer fling. A “just this once” decision to skip my morning workout and stay in bed an extra hour. But, like many love stories, it quickly spiraled out of my control. Laziness and I have been in a committed relationship for a little while now, and honestly, we’re doing great.

For the majority of my life, I treated laziness like a toxic ex I should avoid at all costs. I hung up at every call, avoided the situations I knew he would be in and filled my life with distractions to forget about him. Laziness feels like the guy everyone warns you about. “He’ll dim your spark.” “He’ll ruin your career.” “He’ll control your life.” But the harsh truth is, once I broke no contact with my lazy cravings and started to listen to them, I realized maybe they weren’t like a toxic ex at all. My relationship with laziness has turned healthy, and I realized what my laziness had been trying to tell me all along.

Its not you, Its Burnout

I thought being lazy meant being weak, unmotivated and was a signal that you can’t keep up. But the thing is, most of us aren’t actually lazy at all — we’re exhausted. The burn out turns into exhaustion, and the exhaustion runs our body down till we can’t function to our fullest potential. I’m running on three iced lattes and four granola bars, simultaneously ignoring that my nervous system has been on fight-or-flight mode since I was 14. 

It’s so funny how at times you can hear your body screaming, “I need a break,” or “please slow down, I can’t do one more thing,” yet instead of recognizing the burnout, we see it as our collapse. The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines burnout as “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.” Not only can this exhaustion detract from our physical and mental health, but our burnout, if not recognized and recovered from, eventually spills out of us and into the lives of those around us. The mental and emotional exhaustion we experience when we avoid our craving for laziness turns into lack of focus, lash-outs and leaving behind the people who want the best for us.

DROPping my Toxic EX “Productivity”

I’ll be real: laziness and I would’ve probably never thrived as we are now if I never served my time in my toxic relationship with “doing the most.” Society’s dating advice sucks. They tell us that if we are not always working, hustling, cramming and completing every side hustle task you can think of, we must lack motivation and time management. Productivity culture is the real toxic ex that manipulates you into believing you’ll never be anything without them. He’ll gaslight you all day long (and you’ll fall for it).

It’s a good thing our worth isn’t tied to our partner, especially when that partner is your productivity. Your GPA, your title and how many tasks in a day you can get done do not tie back to your value.  You may think that overachieving is the key to success, but our brains work best when they’re given the time to rest. When we allow ourselves downtime, our creativity has the chance to spark, creating connections and solutions you otherwise would be too busy to notice. 

The soft launch of slowing down

Regulating rest is key. Resting isn’t giving up — it’s giving your body strategic emotional and physical care. The more I nurture my relationship with being lazy, the more I realize it’s not the enemy — it’s the glue that holds us together. Giving yourself the space and permission to rest is true self love. Schedule a “do nothing” afternoon into your busy week, take the long way home to grab ice cream from your favorite spot and simply be still. Start treating rest as an act of self-respect.

The more you embrace healthy laziness into your life, the more motivation, energy and creativity you’ll find. Taking a break isn’t about abandoning your tasks and goals — it allows you to find the clarity and energy to reach them. 

A FORever kind of love

I’m in love with laziness, and it didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t a “love at first sight” story. My love for laziness as a strength and not a weakness deepened over time. Laziness has been the patient partner who reminds me to slow down, who grabs my hand when I want to run too fast. In a society that glorifies exhaustion, choosing to get back together with laziness is the most radical act of self love you can do. 

So yes, laziness and I are going to live happily ever after.