Reclaiming Rest as Resistance

Why rest is a radical act — and how social workers can lead with care, not burnout

In a world that rewards hustle, urgency, and endless productivity, rest is often framed as a luxury — something to be “earned” after all the work is done. But for those on the frontlines of healing, justice, and care — especially social workers — rest is not just essential; it is revolutionary.

Social work has always been about tending to the wounds of systemic harm: navigating bureaucracy, holding space for trauma, and advocating for marginalized communities. But when care is extracted from workers without replenishment, the cycle of harm continues. Burnout becomes a badge of honor, and we forget that healing must include the healer.

Rest Is a Political Act

Rest interrupts capitalism’s demand that we always produce, always grind, always give more than we have. To choose rest — especially as people of color, women, and marginalized caregivers — is to refuse a system that sees our bodies and energy as expendable.

As Black liberation scholar and founder of The Nap Ministry, Tricia Hersey, says:

“Rest is resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.”

When social workers rest, reflect, and replenish, they embody a deeper kind of justice — one that values being as much as doing.

Leading with Care, Not Martyrdom

We don’t serve communities best by pushing ourselves to the edge. We serve best when we are grounded, regulated, nourished, and present. Revolutionary social work invites us to model a culture of care, starting with ourselves.

That means:

• Saying no when capacity is exceeded

• Taking sabbaticals without shame

• Prioritizing community care and mutual aid over rugged individualism

• Honoring slow, reflective work as valid and essential

Rest Is Not Withdrawal — It’s Strategy

Choosing rest doesn’t mean disengaging from struggle. It means sustaining our place in it. Rest allows clarity. It fuels vision. It keeps us alive to do the work tomorrow.

If we are serious about building a liberated future, we have to stop mimicking the systems we’re trying to dismantle.

🌿 A Call to All Social Workers

What if we led by example?
What if your rest gave others permission to do the same?
What if the revolution started with how well we cared for ourselves and each other?

Reclaim your rest. Not just for your own survival — but as an act of collective liberation.