Feeling restless
Feeling restless means you can’t settle into anything, and you keep wanting to get up, move around or be somewhere other than where you are.
What does feeling restless feel like?
You open the fridge and close it, pick up your phone and put it down, start a book and stand up again after one page. Your legs want to walk somewhere, though you couldn’t say where. It’s common on long rainy days, on Sunday evenings, after hours at a desk, and in the days before a big change, when you’re waiting for something to begin.
Is restless a feeling?
It’s both a mood and something your body does. The mood is an urge for change, and the body shows it in tapping feet, shifting in your seat or pacing the room. Restless doesn’t mean tired, though the two can come together. Some people feel most restless when they’re overtired: ready for rest, yet unable to settle into it.
Restless or bored?
Bored is about interest: nothing in front of you is holding it. Restless is about energy, and that energy needs somewhere to go. You can be bored and quite still, on a sofa with nothing to watch. And you can be restless without being bored at all, like the night before a big trip, too excited to sit down.
In a sentence
- “After a week indoors, the kids were restless.”
- “I always get restless on long flights.”
- “She felt restless, so she went out for a walk in the rain.”
Where it sits on the wheel
Restless is in the outer ring, under Tired › Bored.
A gentle prompt
What is your body asking for: a walk, a stretch, a change of scene?
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Something that might help right now
A small screen-free idea for when nothing is holding your interest.
Small things some people find helpful
- Move for a few minutes: a walk around the block, a stretch, a few flights of stairs.
- Open a window, or step outside for some fresh air.
- Pick one small job with a clear end, like washing a few dishes or clearing one shelf.
- If you’d like to slow down, try a few rounds of slow breathing with Breathing Space. Source: NHS, Breathing exercises for stress
Feelings near restless
Bored (one ring in)
Listless (also under Bored)
Restless can’t settle; listless can’t get going.
Unmotivated (also under Bored)
Restless wants to do something, anything; unmotivated has things to do and can’t start them.
About the feelings wheel
Restless is one of the 104 words on the Slow Days feelings wheel, and the list of feelings has them all. The wheel isn’t a test or a diagnosis.