Overview
This piece highlights the importance of rest as a radical and collective act of social justice within movements, especially those focused on preventing violence against women and girls. It argues that rest must be politicized and embedded in movement culture to sustain both individual well-being and collective effectiveness.
The Politics of Rest
- Rest is a radical act that centers physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional wellness.
- Access to rest is shaped by power and privilege related to class, race, gender, nationality, education, and ability.
- Capitalism and related systemic injustices make rest difficult, instrumentalizing people as tools for production.
- Politicizing rest elevates it from self-care to a practice of social and collective care.
Rest in Movement-Building
- Movement cultures often struggle with vicarious trauma, overwork, and self-sacrifice, impeding rest.
- Collective rest interrupts patterns of trauma organizing, offering pathways to healing and more just organizing.
- True rest requires moving beyond individual solutions to embed supportive structures within organizations and systems.
Lessons from Collective Practice
- Rest becomes possible when intentionally planned, such as scheduling downtime or wellness activities.
- Members who prioritized rest reported increased ease and productivity.
- Collective care and community support are essential; individual rest is unsustainable without broader support.
Strategies for Embedding Rest
- Integrate self and collective care activities (meditation, breaks, play) into daily work.
- Adjust work structures: shorter workweeks, flexible scheduling, and including rest in strategic plans.
- Distribute work equitably and foster cultures of shared responsibility, particularly from leaders.
- Ensure fair pay and comprehensive benefits for all, addressing gender and power imbalances.
- Develop organizational policies (fair leave, office shutdowns) to support universal access to rest.
- Foster trust-based collaborations to reduce duplicative efforts and promote sustainability.
Reframing Rest as Justice
- Rest is foundational to movement sustainability, not just for productivity but for solidarity and justice.
- Movements must see rest as liberation, honour, and care, not as a luxury or guilt-inducing act.
- Embracing rest shifts organizing toward abundance, healing, and healthier ways of working.
Recommendations / Advice
- Begin integrating rest practices immediately, starting from current possibilities.
- Leaders should actively check in on workload and foster equitable sharing of tasks.
- Advocate for system-level changes and policies that normalize and protect rest within movements.
- Reframe rest as a collective and political necessity, not merely a personal benefit.