Why Rest Is Radical: Resist Hustle Culture to Heal
Learn more about how and why rest can serve as a means of resistance and what means for you.
By Kristin Satterlee
The idea of rest as an act of resistance is gaining traction in American culture. But what does that even mean? And what does it mean for you?
Rest is resisting … what, exactly?
Rest is an act of resistance to “grind culture,” or runaway capitalism: the pervasive message that our productivity determines our value. This belief has traumatized us all deeply, convincing us that if we work more, do more, say yes more, we will be worth more.
Tricia Hersey, “nap bishop” of The Nap Ministry and author of “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto,” explains: “Along with stealing your imagination and time, grind culture has stolen the ability for pleasure, hobbies, leisure, and experimentation. We are caught up in a never-ending cycle of going and doing.”
You are enough now
But you don’t have to do to have worth. It is a revolutionary act to declare, as Hersey does, “I am enough now.”
Rest is not a luxury, or a way to prepare for the grind. It’s tempting to say, “I’m resting now so I can be more productive later,” but that’s not what the rest revolution is about. Rest is something we do for its own sake, because we have worth and rest is our right.
Moreover, a culture of rest does not mean we don’t need each other. Rest is communal; it lets us be together more fully and authentically. Grind culture and individualism go hand in hand, while rest allows us to treat ourselves and others the way we deserve.
Rest against racism
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called sleep deprivation a public-health emergency. Insufficient sleep is linked to anxiety, depression, heart disease, and even increased risk of injury.
According to Dr. Carolyn Lincoln at UC Irvine’s School of Public Health, “Historically, sleep has been elusive for African Americans…. Racism rather than race is a marker of risk for sleep problems.” A Yale study confirms that Black people get consistently less sleep than average. For historically marginalized people, then, rest strikes back against racism.
What does this mean for me?
But how do we rest when we’re just so … busy? When we have two jobs, kids, aging parents, or other life complications? It helps to remember that rest doesn’t have to come in large chunks. If you can find even 10 minutes to close your eyes, to tell the world “This is my time—for 10 minutes, you can’t have me,” it makes a difference.
If simple napping isn’t your thing, you can try other practices to let your mind and body rest: mindfulness, breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, turning on the radio and dancing in the kitchen. Or—if you can find the right people—create community time, where everyone helps everyone set down their responsibilities and rest together, in quiet or in laughter.
In the words of Laetitia@Work, “When I rest I resist grind culture. I resist the toxicity of our productive systems. I carve out a space to just be.”
Or, as Tricia Hersey says, “You are not unworthy. The systems are unworthy.”
Watch an animated video created for NMBLC by Jordana Thompson on how to get the sleep you deserve.