Everyone needs some space, everything needs some space. If there is no spacing then chaos will be the result of every timing that was forced. Spacing is not being lazy nor being scared. It is a wise move to recover and give your self time to think and do smart moves next time.
If your mother was so angry at you because you didn't wash the dishes you can't be explaining yourself while she was talking and being angry. You need to give her time and let her speak. When she was done then it is time for you to speak up and explain your side. You need to give her space, you need to give the argument a space so the ending will be nice and not the two of you barking at each other. The case will not be solved if you talk when someone is angry and forcing your idea to standout. Both of you will just end up hurting each other's feelings.
If you want to become great at something, you can't be just practicing everyday and going hard forever. Your body needs rest, your body needs some space from training. It is not making an excuse for skipping your everyday routine. Your body really needs some rest so it can gather more energy and you will become stronger after recovery. Not only in sports, not only in physical activities, you also need some rest if what you are pursuing only involves mental activity. You can't be just thinking 24 hours a day or solving any problems that only aliens can solve. You need to rest your mind, clear the unwanted thoughts and then go back to becoming a genius again. Once you are done resting you will feel refreshed and ready to entertain harder things.
If you force things so much you will be forced to stop. That is why injuries happen, mental breakdowns happen. It is simply because you wanted something so bad that you cannot do the right thing anymore. You wanted to prove others that you are great so much that you do not know anything about greatness anymore. All you do is pounding so the correct execution is not being executed properly.
Everything has a timing, your body knows if it needs a space from grinding. Your mind knows if it needs to stop entertaining thoughts that are not healthy. But always make sure that you will not get addicted to spacing. Most people were addicted to rest and they cannot go back to their work anymore. Have enough rest, have enough space, if you feel you are ready to go then go back and grind again. Life is all about balance, there where times where you need to do other things and gather your energy so you can go back stronger and more efficient.
If you are watching a game where a team behind is so desperately forcing themselves to come back, look at them they cannot do the right things. They were making mistakes over and over again, it is because they do not give themselves a rest and they were forcing things so much. This is where spacing is needed, you need to call a timeout. Gather yourselves, take some deep breathes and go back stronger than before.
Life is not all about using force and pushing yourself to the limits. There were times where timing is needed. You need to put yourself in the right timing so you can execute properly and give yourself a better chance to win.
