Rest is Resistance
By Marissa Alexander (she/they), Lead Consultant & Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Specialist, Endura Consulting
As I sit cross legged, tea balanced on my knee, flipping between email correspondences and world news I can’t help but remember words coined by the Nap Queen herself, Tricia Hersey, that “rest is resistance.”
What does that mean and why is it so important to remember? Rest as resistance is more than just “self-care” or “mindfulness.” Resting as resistance speaks to the concept that for those of us the systems in power weren’t built for (spoiler: it’s most of us) resting was never meant to be part of our day to day. Sure, we are allowed to sleep the suggested 6-8 hours per night depending on our age, lifestyle, credit score, etc.… However, once our eyes open in the morning, we are supposed to be productive! We are supposed to be working, hustling, grinding, to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,” “be valuable in society,” and “change the world” (but not enough to disrupt the status quo.) If you are not producing work, ideas, and products with your time, then you must be wasting it, right? RIGHT! Now get to work and stop asking questions.
Can you imagine? What if we did ask questions? What if we paused to think? Why do I only feel valuable when I am being productive? Why do I feel guilt for not working or producing at all times? Whose voice is in my head telling me I’m lazy?
Pssst, here’s the not so secret answer: THE SYSTEMS ARE NOT MEANT FOR US! Sorry for shouting, but it’s true. Patriarchy tells us to get in line (specifically in a boy or girl line), capitalism tells us to produce, produce, produce, and white supremacy culture tells us to strive for perfection (ideally in a white body, but if you can’t do that then at least don’t get in the way.) These systems were not meant for beautiful, unique, messy humans. They were not meant to hold our emotions, to protect our softness, or light our inspiration. They were meant to give us all a blueprint on how to be better… for the system.
From its roots in Black Liberation, Rest is Resistance is a mantra that reclaims rest as a human right essential for healing generational trauma and escaping the oppressive, relentless pursuit of productivity.
It’s about recognizing that this is not normal. We should not be witnessing genocides across the world over breakfast. We should not be getting our children ready for school while thinking about children being deported from the only homes they’ve known. We should not be protesting on the weekends, then expected to show up bright and chipper on Monday morning to talk about Q4.
None of this is normal. And all of it is exhausting.
Exhausting to the very core of our beings and in a way that has not been healed from the generations before, and will not be healed for generations after us. This existential exhaustion is decades in the making. It comes from generations of spirits being crushed, stolen, fractured, and molded to fit a system meant to control us. It is moral injury layered on moral injury.
This is why rest is resistance. Rest was never meant for us. Our ancestors weren’t meant to rest. To dillydally. To frolick. To lollygag. So even considering rest an option is resistance. Acknowledging our own divine bodies as more than just machines or tools for production is resistance. This is not just about a nap. It is about recognizing that not resting is a social and public health issue. You can’t pour from an empty cup and you sure as hell can’t pour from a cracked, broken, decaying cup either. It is not just about catching a few Zs, it’s about healing from generations of harm. Which, I’m willing to bet, will take more than a 15 minute snooze.
Rest is anything and everything that allows your body to heal.
Sure napping may be your rest, but so might walking, drawing, dancing, or screaming profanities in nature. Rest is whatever allows you to reconnect with your body as a human, not as a tool. Without expectation that your body produces anything for you.
How can you integrate radical rest in your organization? Prioritize people over production. That can look like flexible work situations, hours, work spaces. It can also look like encouraging wellness days instead of “sick” or “mental health” days. Empower people to take days to stay well, not just to recover from being unwell. It can also look like encouraging people to show up authentically to work and creating safe spaces to do this. Such as considering accommodations, neurodiversity, and physical challenges. Most of these things benefit all of us, not just those of us that need it. Other ways to prioritize the people in an organization is to ditch the rigid (racist) version of professionalism and come up with people-first versions of working professionally. Maybe that means revisiting what is considered professional clothing and hair, and instead focusing on how you want people to do their work. I promise you, wearing hard pants has never made me more productive, but feeling valued for what I bring to the table has!
Radical rest can also look like how you choose to work with people. At Endura Consulting and UpRoot Consulting, we prioritize caring for people who care for people. We are careful to pick clients and organizations that we are passionate about supporting. We engage flexibly, with compassion, and with the understanding that we are all working towards the same goals. We make sure to incorporate rest and healing into our schedules, work days, and planning. We work to practice what we preach and encourage everyone we connect with to do the same.
During Black History Month (what a coincidence!) let’s learn from Black Liberation and take Rest as Resistance seriously. As Tricia Hersey says “this work should be respected as a balm for all of humanity.” So what does rest look like to you? How can you purposefully and meaningfully create time for rest? Incorporate rest in your organization? Schedule things around your rest? Especially for those of us working to change the systems, rest is imperative. We cannot work towards a future where rest is the baseline, if we don’t model it ourselves. So please, rest. It is your right, your healing, and your resistance. Now I'm off to yell in nature- I hope to see you out there.
