Rest as Resistance: Why Slowing Down is a Radical Act of Self-Leadership
Rest as Resistance:
Why Slowing Down is a Radical Act of Self-Leadership
Rest as Resistance: Why Slowing Down is a Radical Act of Self-Leadership
A world where hustle is glamorized, busy is a badge of honor, and rest? Well… rest is treated like a luxury you earn after you’ve sacrificed your mind, your body, and your time.
We’ve been sold a lie that rest is weak. That slowing down means you’re lazy. That if you’re not constantly producing, posting, or pushing forward, you’re falling behind.
But what if I told you that choosing rest—intentional, unapologetic, soul-deep rest—isn’t just self-care… it’s resistance?
Yep. You heard me.
In a system built to extract, exploit, and glorify overwork, rest is a radical, counter-cultural, truth-telling act of self-leadership.
And if you’re someone who leads, who gives, who shows up for others—especially in the work of advocacy, healing, or social change—this conversation is especially for you.
The Systems Are Exhausting Us on Purpose
Let’s zoom out for a minute.
The glorification of overwork isn’t just a cultural quirk. It’s systemic. It’s deeply rooted in colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy. These systems were designed to reward productivity and profit at the expense of human lives—especially Black, Brown, disabled, and marginalized bodies.
The message is loud and clear:
Be useful or be invisible.
Keep going or get left behind.
Grind now, maybe rest later—if you earn it.
Even wellness gets co-opted into this hustle mindset: Optimize your morning routine. Maximize your downtime. Monetize your hobby. It’s all just... more doing.
But here’s the truth nobody profits from:
You are not a machine.
You’re a living, breathing, sacred being with limits, cycles, and needs. You were never designed to operate 24/7.
“The systems aren’t broken. They’re working exactly as they were designed.”
— Audre Lorde (paraphrased, and always relevant)
The Burnout of the Brave
Let me speak directly to the advocates, the changemakers, the helpers, and the healers:
You’re showing up every day to make things better—for your clients, your communities, your loved ones, your mission.
You carry the weight of the world, and you do it with heart.
But too often, you carry it alone.
And you carry it without rest.
We need you well.
We need you resourced.
We need your nervous system supported, your spirit nourished, your joy intact.
Burnout is not a badge of honor. It’s a red flag.
And the more we celebrate pushing through, the more we normalize the erasure of our own humanity.
Rest is Not Lazy. It’s Leadership.
Let me say that again for the overachievers in the back:
Rest is Not Lazy. It’s Leadership.
True leadership is not just about strategy and stamina. It’s about modeling wholeness. It’s about choosing sustainability over speed. It’s about demonstrating what’s possible when we lead from a place of clarity, not depletion.
Every time you say, “I need a break,”
Every time you take a nap without guilt,
Every time you decline another obligation to protect your peace…
You’re planting a flag in the ground and saying,
“My worth is not measured by my output.”
That’s leadership. That’s power.
Rest as Resistance: The Nap Ministry
We can’t talk about this topic without honoring the work of Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry. Her message is both poetic and prophetic:
“Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.”
Through her work, she reminds us that rest is not just personal—it’s political. It is ancestral. It is sacred.
When Black women, queer bodies, caregivers, disabled folks, and trauma survivors choose rest, it’s a refusal to be consumed. It’s a declaration of enoughness.
Rest becomes a way of saying:
“I am human. I am divine. And I will not be reduced to a cog in your machine.”
Mental Health and the Myth of “High-Functioning”
Let’s also be real about how rest intersects with mental health.
So many of us live with anxiety, depression, trauma, or invisible emotional labor. We’ve mastered the art of looking “fine” while quietly unraveling. We call ourselves “high-functioning” like it’s a compliment.
But let me ask you this:
What would happen if we stopped performing okay-ness and started honoring our needs?
If we stopped needing a diagnosis to justify rest?
If we allowed ourselves to rest before the breakdown?
Emotional and psychological healing requires rest. Period.
You cannot trauma-process your way through a Google calendar full of back-to-back meetings.
So, What Does Rest as Resistance Actually Look Like?
Let’s get practical, shall we? Because rest doesn’t have to mean booking a weeklong retreat in Sedona (though, I mean… yes please 🙋♀️). Rest can look like:
Saying “no” without explaining yourself
Taking a 15-minute nap in the middle of the workday
Logging off social media for the weekend
Canceling a meeting because your body says “not today”
Sitting outside in the sun, phone-free, doing nothing
Letting yourself cry without rushing to “get it together”
Turning in early instead of finishing the dishes
Creating a screen-free Saturday or a sacred Sunday morning
None of these things are flashy.
They don’t go viral.
But they’re revolutionary.
Because every small act of rest is a reclaiming of your body, your breath, your being.
What I Learned from My Own Pause
Last year, I took a weekend to unplug—no email, no clients, no content creation. Just me, a journal, and a whole lot of quiet.
What surfaced was surprising: grief, clarity, and so much creative energy I’d been ignoring. My nervous system felt like it exhaled for the first time in months.
And you know what?
When I returned, I was sharper. Softer. More grounded.
The world didn’t fall apart. I didn’t lose momentum.
If anything, I came back stronger.
That’s the paradox, isn’t it?
We think slowing down will make us weaker.
But stillness is where the real power lives.
Final Truth: You Deserve to Rest Simply Because You Exist
Not because you’ve checked off every box.
Not because you’ve earned it.
Not because your body is screaming for it (though it probably is).
You deserve rest because you’re human.
Let that truth land. Let it melt into your bones.
You were not born to be efficient.
You were born to be free.
Want to Create More Space for Rest in Your Life?
If your soul is nodding along and whispering yes please, I’d love to invite you into my upcoming Clutternomics Masterclass, starting September 29th.
This isn’t just about decluttering your home (though we do that too). It’s about clearing the emotional, mental, and energetic clutter that keeps you stuck in the cycle of overgiving and under-resting.
We’ll create space for clarity, rest, and radical self-leadership.
Because your rest isn’t optional.
It’s revolutionary.
👉 Join the Clutternomics Masterclass here:
https://speaktacular.com/clutternomics
Let’s stop chasing balance. Let’s build it—together.
With deep love and permission to pause,
