You are exhausted physically and spiritually
because the pace created by this system is for machines
not a magical and divine human being.
You are enough. You deserve rest.
– Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance &
The Nap Ministry
Micro Rest: tiny moments of pause seeded throughout the day
About: interrupting productivity-oriented machine pace, nurturing calm, gentle reminders that you are not your to-do list and it is not possible to reduce you to an inventory of your productive hours
– Any mindful moment (up to or less than approx 3 min)
– Invocations and Closures of activities
– Prayers, mindful breathing
– Intentional moments before or after one eats
Restorative Activities: generative pleasurable activities that nurture calm and joy without relying on excitement, productivity, or monetary value
About: nervous system regulation, flow state, time reclaimed from busy schedule, pockets of authentic life at a natural pace
– Art, music & creative activities
– Mindful eating, walking
– Gentle exercise (not standard fitness practice)
– Journaling, reflective reading
– Gardening, crafting, cooking or baking
Macro Rest: longer deeper pauses of physical, mental and emotional stillness crafted from an investment of time and attention
About: generative stillness that roots into natural pace, stabilizes and deepens nervous system regulation and disrupts narratives of productivity, monetarily-assessed worth and busyness
– Meditating, napping, daydreaming
Radical Rest Protocol: a dedicated practice of prioritizing rest as a path to recovery and healing
About: carefully limiting activities that are not rest-rooted, scheduling rest-rooted activities as the substance of one’s day, protecting boundaries and maintaining protocols for an extended period of time (weeks, months or even years)
