Taking a break isn’t lazy. A break with no plan to come back is just quitting slowly.

Rest and drift look identical from the inside. The difference is whether a return exists, because a break with an end is recovery and a break without one slowly becomes a decision you never consciously made. Naming the return is what keeps the rest honest. It also lets you relax properly instead of feeling vaguely guilty the whole time.

If you need a break, take it on purpose and say when it ends. Write the date down and tell one person who will ask you about it. If you keep moving that date, that is worth knowing too, and it is a different conversation to have.