Join the rest revolution: we glamorize naps and turn our back to capitalism

How would your life change if you started resting? 

Society drives us to do more, be more, and want more. But what would happen if you stopped chasing after the next thing and simply focused on being?

How would your life change?

I want to challenge the idea that rest and laziness are the same thing and focus on the need for rest and how it can be used to fight the negative impacts of capitalism and empower you to live life in a more fulfilling way. 

Your value isn’t found in what you accomplish. Being a workaholic isn’t going to lead you to a path of success, and success can be defined in more ways than money. 

Photos by Emily Wilkerson. Pictured: Charlie the cat.

What is rest?

Let’s start at the basics. 

What is rest?

Rest is anything that connects your mind and body. Rest can be taking a nap (more on that later), but it can also be simply doing things that fill your life with joy and excitement. 

Rest can be gardening, reading a book, lounging by a pool, writing in your journal, cooking…etc. When you rest, you connect your mind and body and find peace in being one.

Laziness is when you’re unwilling to work or complete the tasks you need to do, while rest is taking time to connect with yourself. 

Why do we need rest?

The simple answer: we need rest to function.

The complicated answer is that we aren’t designed to be constantly on the go, and capitalism has altered how we view ourselves and the world. We need rest to realign who we are to lead fulfilling lives where we’re happy to simply exist.  

“Periods in which works is ceased provide space for life to exist outside the parameters of productivity. Rather than an optional leftover activity, rest constitutes a crucial opportunity to recharge our energy, reflect on our thoughts, restore our focus, remove what is unwanted and recover our equilibrium.” – Molly Grover

Rest isn’t optional. It’s vital to living a purposeful life. 

If you want to have the energy to fight injustice, the ability to find freedom, and the opportunities to reconnect with yourself, you need to rest. 

“To not rest is really being violent towards your body, to align yourself with a system that says your body doesn’t belong to you, keep working, you are simply a tool for our production…”— Tricia Hersey 

There is beauty in resting, and the more you incorporate intentional rest into your everyday life, the more you’ll connect with yourself and find fulfilment, purpose, and excitement in life. 

All about the nap.

I feel like we can’t have the conversation about rest without talking about the nap.

I’m a big fan of napping.

It’s an opportunity mid-day to just rest. 

To pause during the chaos of a day and go, “I’m going to sleep now,” is such a beautiful gift and empowering task. 

In saying all of this, I’ve also had my fair share of not-great naps that left me feeling more groggy and tired than rested. After some scientific-nap-research, I’ve learned that there is an art to napping and that mastering this art can help you wake up feeling rested every time.

Research shows that napping for about 20 minutes, not too late in the day, is one of the best ways to have a restful nap that doesn’t interrupt your sleep pattern. The 20 minutes will allow you to fall asleep without falling in too deep, and having a nap earlier in the day will help you avoid impacting your sleep that night. 

I recently learned that “Danish schoolchildren score worse on tests when they take them in the afternoon, judges are less likely to issue prisoners a favorable ruling, anaesthesiologists are three times more likely to give patients a fatal dose of anesthesia, and nurses are 10% less likely to wash their hands. People behave more unethically in the afternoon, too, and sleep-related traffic accidents spike between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.” 

All this points to the conclusion that sometimes, we just need to nap!

Capitalism vs Rest

I’ve touched on this idea of capitalism vs rest already, but I want to dive into this concept more. 

Tricia Hersey talks about how “Capitalism and white supremacy have tricked us into believing that our self-worth is tied to our productivity.”

When you choose rest over capitalism, you’re actively fighting against the evil lies that capitalism plants in our heads. I’m going to repeat it; you are more than what you produce. 

In saying all of this, I recognize that resting is a privilege, and many people can’t afford to rest. But, this drives home the idea that we need to normalize (dare I say idolize) rest as it’s a vital necessity for life. We need rest to function, and we need rest to find fulfillment. 

The more people who can rest that speak up against capitalism and speak for the need to rest, the more opportunities we can create for people from all walks of life to create space to rest. 

We need to change the narrative. Rest should not be a privilege; it is a right. 

Rest and laziness are different. Rest is not an unwillingness to work. It recognizes the need to connect mind and body together. 

Join the rest revolution!

I love this quote, “Healing justice means that we begin to value care, emotional labor and resilience, not as add-ons but as central components of sustainability that restore us to life. Rest is revolution. It can restore, empower, heal, and cultivate joy.”— Prentiss Hemphill

If I haven’t convinced you that you’re in dire need of some rest, I urge you to reread this blog. 

You are more than what you produce, and resting will help you find a new sense of purpose in life and allow you to do the good work you’re setting out to do. 

If you’re looking for an opportunity to join the rest revolution, check out my retreat. This could be the rest you need.

Now, I urge you. Please rest and consider, “How will I be useless to capitalism today?”