We know that rest is essential for our well-being and for staying grounded in the vital work of resistance and transformation, yet it’s easy to get caught in the whirlwind of constant motion. Room staff and editors shared the following practices to support you in resting and resisting this season. Read on for suggestions that help us show up fully for ourselves, our communities, and the meaningful changes we work toward.
1. Focus on what’s generative rather than depleting.
Chimedum Ohaegbu
Attention is a resource that originates within all of us and one that tech conglomerates are constantly trying to peel off our person. Turning your attention away from the manipulative and towards that which genuinely challenges and fuels you will deepen your rest and make your resistances more effective.
Prompt: Consider an activity that gives you life but that you haven’t done in a while. Which app could you delete, or what obligation could you let go of to make space for this activity?
2. Schedule “do-nothing” days.
Rachel Thompson
In our home, we have days set aside to do nothing—no work, no obligations, no expectations—and we deliberately stay in our PJs. These “do-nothing days” give us space to recharge, recenter, and reflect. We do this not just for personal healing but to make a radical statement I want to pass along to my children: “We are more than what we produce.”
Prompt: Can you plan a day (or simply an afternoon) when your household takes a complete break from responsibilities and screens to focus on rest and connection?
3. Let food bring people together.
Holly Lam
Gathering around food is integral to many celebrations and cultures. Food can be a way to prioritize connection and step away from the bombardment of advertisements and consumerism we face at this time of year. Try setting a theme! Some friends and I recently had a “dumpling night” to which we each brought ingredients for a dumpling-like dish from our cultural background, and we assembled them all together! It was a beautiful (and tasty) way to get to know each other better.
Prompt: What food makes you feel like yourself? Who do you want to share it with?
4. Embrace intentional gift-giving practices.
Tara Preissl
I recently listened to the ever-great Robin Wall Kimmerer’s audiobook for The Serviceberry and participated in my own Nation’s gift-giving practices at a family ceremony this past autumn. Both experiences reminded me that the gifts we offer each other come in numerous forms and need not be tied to transactional purchases. Robin Wall Kimmerer notes “Gift-giving is a way of saying ‘I see you.’ I see what you need and I see what I have to share.” Some ideas: a book recommendation, a curated playlist, an “I thought of you when I saw/heard/watched/made this,” a warm meal waiting on a clean table or a frozen meal stored in the freezer for later, a basket of laundry folded and put away, a listening ear on dark days (and light ones, too), a button sewed on and a pair of pants hemmed, firewood chopped and graciously stored for the winter, a skill shared, or an hour of childcare offered.
Prompt: When you reflect on the gifts you’ve received that weren’t purchased, what made them meaningful? Consider your own skills and resources: what non-monetary gifts could you offer to someone in your life this week?
5. Look for patterns in nature.
Rachel Thompson
Fractals—repeating patterns like tree branches, leaf veins, or river paths—soothe our minds and lower stress. I find these patterns particularly calming for my neurospicy brain in this chaotic world. Connecting with nature lets us re-center, finding peace and clarity to fuel our resistance. Nature’s beauty and structure grounds us just as it reminds us of what we’re fighting to protect. I love how these patterns and connections are a source of rest, resilience, and strength.
Prompt: What patterns in nature help you feel grounded and connected? Look for tree branches, snowflakes, or cloud formations on your next outing.
6. Make art as a form of rest and revolution.
Natalie Wee
The role of the artist is twofold: to illustrate radical possibilities and to excavate truth. Art envisions a just, equitable world, fuelling resilience in revolution. As Fargo Nissim Tbakhi writes, “Palestine demands that all of us, as writers and artists, consider ourselves in principled solidarity with the long cultural Intifada.” In a world full of distractions, let your art resist false narratives and strengthen efforts for justice, creating a space for solidarity and liberation.
Prompt: What is one thing you stand for, and how can you express this in your writing/art today?
Thank You, Rest!
Thank you to all my colleagues who contributed these inspiring suggestions of what to do and undo this season. I, for one, am ready to slow down, connect over food, give meaningfully, embrace rest, observe nature, and create art that resists false narratives.
How about you? Ready to follow the prompts—and your own knowing—to resist the culture of overwork by resting and connecting, building resilience and clarity for lasting change? May rest become our revolution as we work toward a more just and sustainable world.
