Book Review: The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age

🧠 What’s It About?

This book is based on The Rest Test, a global research project where over 18,000 people ranked the most restful activities in their lives. What Claudia Hammond uncovers is powerful: rest doesn’t always mean sleep or stopping, it often looks like small, intentional moments of mental relief.

For first responders constantly exposed to high-alert situations, The Art of Rest offers a science-backed reminder: you don’t have to stop working to start resting, you just need to shift your mental state.

🔟 The 10 Most Restful Activities ... And What They Mean for You

Here’s the global top 10 from the research, with a Respondr twist on how each can be applied to paramedic life:

1. Reading

Why it helps: Escapes the present moment and offers quiet mental focus.
Try this: Keep a book in your bag or station locker that has nothing to do with work—just enjoyment.

2. Being in nature

Why it helps: Resets your nervous system and promotes calm.
Try this: Use your day off to walk in a local reserve or beach—no earbuds, no destination. Just presence.

3. Being alone

Why it helps: Breaks overstimulation, recharges your social batteries.
Try this: Take 10 minutes after a shift or before work in a quiet spot (car, park, backyard) to sit with no demands.

4. Listening to music

Why it helps: Regulates mood, shifts your emotional state.
Try this: Build a “downshift” playlist—music that helps you release stress from the day or transition out of uniform.

5. Doing nothing in particular

Why it helps: Frees the brain from task-switching and goal setting.
Try this: Allow yourself a 15-minute window to daydream, stare out the window, or lie down—no guilt, no “productivity.”

6. Walking

Why it helps: Gentle movement plus mental clarity = double benefit.
Try this: Walk after your last night shift, or start your days off with a solo, aimless walk—no agenda, just pace.

7. Taking a bath

Why it helps: Combines sensory comfort with full-body relaxation.
Try this: If you’re not a bath person, recreate the feeling—warm shower, low lights, no phone, post-shift silence.

8. Daydreaming

Why it helps: Triggers creativity and relieves cognitive pressure.
Try this: Let your mind wander. When commuting (as a passenger), cooking, or even folding laundry—let thoughts drift.

9. Watching TV

Why it helps: Offers distraction and escape when done with intention.
Try this: Choose something light, funny, or nostalgic. Avoid doom-scrolling or intense thrillers post-shift.

10. Mindfulness or meditation

Why it helps: Activates your parasympathetic nervous system and helps emotional regulation.
Try this: Start with 2–3 minutes. Use free apps like Smiling Mind or Insight Timer. Try guided breathing after night shifts.

💬 Why This Matters for First Responders

Rest isn’t just a response to exhaustion ... it’s a foundation for growth.
Claudia Hammond’s research shows that rest is deeply personal and doesn’t need to be extreme or time-consuming. For first responders, these restful activities offer realistic, manageable ways to recalibrate your body and mind even between shifts.

🔁 Takeaway Thought:

Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a rhythm.
And building it into your week, even in small ways, keeps you sharp, grounded, and more connected to yourself.

You can access The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age
by Claudia Hammond via print, digital or audio format. For more resources there is a link to her webpage below.