You are not behind on rest. You’ve been working.

I remind myself of that every time a season wraps. For months, my alarm went off before the sun. My weekends shrank to a single day. And somewhere along the way, “how are you?” became a question I answered with my call time.

Then the season ends, and nobody tells you how to rest after a long work season. So, over the years, I’ve built my own comeback week. Here it is, day by day.

Day One: Do Nothing on Purpose

The morning after wrap, my body still wakes up early. [Your real detail: what time you wake up, and what you do in that first moment.]

So my only rule for day one is to do nothing on purpose. No errands, no inbox, no “quick” favors. In fact, I tell the people closest to me ahead of time: day one, I’m unavailable.

Day Two: Close the Season

On day two, I give the season a final scene. [Your real ritual: for example, backing up and closing project files, clearing your desk, or washing the hoodie you wore every day.]

It sounds small. However, without an ending, my brain keeps editing in the background. Closing the season tells it the work is done.

Day Three: Get Outside

By day three, I need daylight. After months in a dark edit bay, my eyes forget what the sun looks like.

[Your real detail: where you go, such as a walk, a hike, or the beach, and what you notice.]

Meanwhile, I don’t watch anything. Not a movie, not a show, not a trailer. Otherwise, I start cutting it in my head.

Day Four: Let Them

Day four is usually when the texts start. Someone wants to know what I’m doing next. Someone else wants my take on a cut, or a job, or a rumor.

This is where The Let Them Theory saved me. [Your real example: the call or conversation you used to get pulled into, and how you handle it now.] Now, I let them wonder, let them speculate, and let them wait. Then I ask myself what I need today, and I do that instead.

Day Five: One Real Meal

On set and in post, I eat whatever is fast. So on day five, I cook something slowly and sit down to eat it.

[Your real detail: the meal you make, or the restaurant you go to.]

It’s the first moment I usually think, there I am.

Days Six and Seven: Rebuild the Small Systems

By the end of the week, I start rebuilding the tiny habits from Atomic Habits: water, a daily walk, and an early night. As a result, when the next job calls, my body is ready, even if my calendar isn’t.

[Optional: a one-line quote from a colleague in another department about their own first week off.]

What I’ve Learned About Rest

Rest after a long season isn’t a switch. It’s a comeback. And like any good comeback, it needs a plan.

Mark the end. Give the season a final scene.

Protect the quiet. Say no to favors, screens, and anyone who wants to pick your brain.

Let them. Let other people’s urgency stay theirs.

Give it a week. Most of us start feeling like ourselves again by day five.

Your Comeback Week

Every department rests a little differently. So tell me yours. What’s the first thing you do after wrap? The best answers may appear in a future Weekend Wind-Down.

And if a season leaves you running on empty, you don’t have to recover alone. The Entertainment Community Fund offers support for entertainment professionals, from health to financial guidance.