Chand Counselling
Rakhi Chand, PhD

Tag: self-care

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Rest is Resistance

Artwork by unknown artist, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, September 2021. If you have information about the artist, please contact me.

Power naps are my thing. But I am as conditioned by capitalism and its demands to produce as much as anyone, so it’s been something of a guilty pleasure. Until now. Fuck ‘guilty’; or even ‘pleasure’: I’m starting to agree with Tricia Hersey that rest is a human right.

Back in 2016, US-based Hersey, activist and author of ‘Rest is Resistance’, found herself overwhelmed by the myriad demands on her time, body and mind. She responded to this state of exhaustion by napping whenever and wherever she could – or could not. A University student, as well as working parent, she slept anywhere and everywhere on campus. She told lecturers that she may not submit work as expected because she was prioritising rest (in her case, napping). Hersey talks of resting through guilt. Moreover, it’s not the kind of rest taken in order to become more productive. It’s not even rest for rest’s sake: it is rest for liberation.

Hersey’s manifesto is that rest is a form of resistance against white supremacy and capitalism, systems that thrive on the exhaustion and overwork of individuals, particularly those marginalised by these systems. ‘Grind culture’, she calls it. I suggest that a culture of ‘busyness’ also exacerbates ‘grind culture’. Said differently, it seems that busyness has become associated with worth, making rest even more elusive. Rest is paramount though, says Hersey. Not just for physical inactivity but as a radical act of reclaiming one’s humanity and challenging the structures that demand constant productivity and deny basic needs.

I find this pretty compelling. Maybe it also supports you to stop, whatever that looks like and however long it lasts.

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A dollop of self-care, please and thank you

These are tricky times, I think we may agree that. The political backdrop to our lives is having an unsettling effect. Add to that the inescapable force and pace of social media, and what this psychotherapist sees is anxiety aplenty.

Cue, depression. Anxiety and depression can be a dastardly duo. The good news is that addressing one will often quieten the other. They – like most mental health difficulties – may be eased by looking at both symptoms and root causes.

More good news: there are some daily choices (for the lucky ones) that can support mental health and resilience. Perhaps you are already well-versed in aspiring to the below, but just in case:

1. Eat well.
2. Sleep well.
3. Exercise.
4. Be aware of what you enjoy, and do those things – small or big. Let’s assume they aren’t self-destructive…
5. Be aware of and don’t do (too much) of what you don’t enjoy, if possible
6. Be able to say ‘no’ when needed
7. Download the ‘CALM’ or ‘Headspace’ App – and use it

Granted, some of these are biggies that you may need help with. For example, ‘being able to say no’ may open a meaty topic about how you see yourself. Oh so worth looking at, though – not least because these kinds of roots of difficulty often hold us back in various ways, some of which we may not even be aware of.

I find it unnatural to draw lines between anxiety, depression, roots, symptoms, etc. From nearly a decade of working with clients, I see that working with the whole person, rather than trying to compartmentalise difficulties, is beneficial. People are not linear, so neither is the therapy I offer. 

I hasten to add that sometimes it’s necessary to prioritise symptoms – and I think what the National Health Service provides often does just that. However, this is only part of the work with anxiety, depression, and indeed mental health problems in general. 

If your mental health is difficult to manage alone at the moment, symptoms or biggies or otherwise, I hope that you will seek help. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is a good place to start: www.bacp.co.uk . And I am contactable via the ‘contact tab’.