We create this content from the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations. As settlers providing therapy services in so-called Vancouver, we’re committed to moving beyond acknowledgment into active accountability. Through Vancouver BIPOC therapy, we examine how colonial productivity culture impacts mental health.
Overview
This piece draws on Tricia Hersey’s Rest as Resistance to frame rest not as a personal indulgence but as resistance against a system that has historically denied BIPOC communities the basic right to pause. It looks at how productivity culture shows up in therapy itself, and what collective, culturally rooted rest practices can look like instead of individual self-care.
Written by Parveen Boyal
In This Guide:
- Colonial Roots of Productivity Culture
- Impact on Mental Health & Healing
- Rest as Revolutionary Practice
- Reclaiming Cultural Rest Practices
- Capitalism in the Therapy Room
- Collective Approaches to Rest
- Practical Resistance Through Rest
- Next Steps
Colonial Roots of Productivity Culture
In Vancouver’s fast-paced urban landscape, the pressure to constantly produce, achieve, and “overcome” mental health challenges through sheer willpower reveals deep colonial roots. This isn’t just about being busy, it’s about how capitalism and colonialism have shaped our very understanding of rest, healing, and what it means to be “well.”
The colonial project has always relied on disconnecting people from their natural rhythms and cultural rest practices. When we’re too exhausted to resist, too busy to build community, and too drained to imagine alternatives, systems of oppression thrive. Understanding this helps us see why rest isn’t just personal, it’s political.
Reflection Questions:
- How has productivity culture influenced your relationship with rest?
- What messages did you receive about rest from your culture and community?
- When did you first notice the pressure to always be “productive”?
Impact on Mental Health & Healing
Through contextual therapy practices, we observe how productivity culture shows up in our bodies. The tension headaches, the racing thoughts, the inability to slow down, these aren’t personal failings but natural responses to unnatural expectations. Even in therapy spaces, we often feel pressure to be “doing it right” or “making progress fast enough.”
The impact extends beyond individual experiences. When healing becomes another item on our to-do list, we lose the very essence of what makes it transformative. Our nervous systems, designed for cycles of activity and rest, struggle under the constant demand to perform, achieve, and “get better.”
Rest as Revolutionary Practice
As Tricia Hersey powerfully argues in “Rest as Resistance,” rest isn’t merely about taking breaks, it’s about disrupting systems of oppression that profit from our exhaustion. For Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, the right to rest has been systematically denied through generations of racial capitalism, making rest not just a personal act but a profound form of political resistance.
Rest becomes radical when we understand, as Hersey teaches, that our ancestors were denied rest as a tool of oppression. Within racial capitalism, the exhaustion of BIPOC communities isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. The system was designed to extract maximum labor while denying basic human needs for rest, renewal, and collective care.
When BIPOC folx choose rest, it becomes an act of liberation, a reclamation of what capitalism and colonialism attempted to steal. This isn’t about “lazy Sunday afternoons” (though those are valid too). It’s about fundamental resistance to systems that have historically profited from Black and Brown bodies while denying them the basic human right to pause, to breathe, to simply be.
In therapy spaces, this means creating room for what Hersey calls “sacred pauses”, those moments when we choose to step outside the demands of productivity culture. For BIPOC communities, these pauses aren’t luxuries, they’re essential acts of survival and resistance.
Reclaiming Cultural Rest Practices
Drawing from Hersey’s wisdom about the divine right to rest, we understand that many cultural traditions hold profound wisdom about rest as a spiritual and political practice. For BIPOC communities, reclaiming ancestral rest practices becomes a way to heal from generational exhaustion and resist ongoing exploitation.
These practices often integrate:
- Napping as a form of resistance against grind culture
- Daydreaming as a liberatory practice denied under racial capitalism
- Slowing down as ancestral wisdom and cultural preservation
- Rest as a spiritual practice connecting to cultural traditions
- Collective rest as community care and mutual protection
For BIPOC folx navigating systems designed for exhaustion, rest practices might include:
- Setting boundaries around labor (emotional and physical)
- Honoring cultural rhythms of rest and activity
- Creating collective spaces for shared rest
- Protecting each other’s right to pause and renewal
- Celebrating rest as cultural preservation
Capitalism in the Therapy Room
Even in anti-oppressive therapy spaces, we must stay vigilant about how productivity culture infiltrates healing work. The pressure to “make progress,” “do the work,” or “move through” challenges quickly often reflects capitalist values rather than genuine healing rhythms.
Through anti-oppressive therapy, we challenge these narratives, creating space for healing that honors different cultural understandings of time, progress, and wellness. This means recognizing that sometimes, the most profound healing happens in moments of apparent “non-productivity.”
Collective Approaches to Rest
Rest becomes more accessible when we approach it collectively, the same collective framing explored in When Self-Care Isn’t Enough. This might look like:
- Creating community agreements about rest
- Supporting each other’s boundaries
- Sharing resources to make rest possible
- Celebrating different ways of resting
- Building networks of care and support
Practical Resistance Through Rest
Decolonizing rest means finding practical ways to resist productivity culture while honoring our responsibilities to community. This isn’t about abandoning commitments but reimagining how we show up for them.
Through somatic approaches, we can learn to:
- Recognize our body’s rest signals
- Honor natural rhythms and cycles
- Set boundaries around energy and time
- Connect with cultural rest practices
- Build sustainable patterns of rest and activity
Next Steps in Your Healing Journey
Ready to explore what rest as resistance might mean for your healing journey? Here are some ways to connect:
- Take our 3-minute questionnaire to receive personalized therapist recommendations that align with your experiences and needs.
- Explore our free resource database for more information about anti-oppressive approaches to healing and rest practices.
- Book a free consultation to explore how these approaches might support your healing journey.
Remember: Your healing journey deserves support that honors your natural rhythms, cultural wisdom, and right to rest.
Justice-oriented counselling Vancouver, explored further in The Art of Saying No, examines the role of boundaries in personal and collective healing, emphasizing their importance in resisting systemic oppression and fostering well-being.
Our relationship with time is deeply shaped by colonial and capitalist structures, often pushing us toward burnout. Decolonizing Time invites a reimagining of rest, slowness, and healing as acts of resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rest as Resistance
Why frame rest as political rather than just self-care?
For Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, the right to rest has been systematically denied through generations of racial capitalism. Choosing rest becomes a reclamation of what capitalism and colonialism attempted to steal, not just a personal indulgence.
Does productivity pressure show up inside therapy itself?
Yes. Even anti-oppressive therapy spaces can carry pressure to “make progress” or “do the work” quickly, which often reflects capitalist values rather than genuine healing rhythms.
What are some ancestral rest practices being reclaimed?
Napping as resistance against grind culture, daydreaming as a liberatory practice, slowing down as cultural preservation, and rest as a spiritual practice connected to cultural tradition.
How does collective rest differ from individual rest?
Collective rest includes community agreements about rest, supporting each other’s boundaries, sharing resources to make rest possible, and building networks of care rather than resting alone.
What does practical resistance through rest look like day to day?
Recognizing the body’s rest signals, honoring natural rhythms and cycles, setting boundaries around energy and time, and connecting with cultural rest practices.