one of the biggest things i learned during the pandemic was the importance of REST. before I literally had no choice but to stop and stand still, I didn’t know what work life balance was. I felt guilty during days off because I felt like I wasn’t being productive or I could be doing more. At the same time, right before we were forced to quarantine I was completely burnt out and felt like I couldn’t do this career anymore. Then I started seeing how after resting during that period, cultivating new hobbies, prioritizing my mental health, my friendships and relationships, making time for exercise, and also enjoying being lazy again, I started to naturally feel inspired, passionate, and way more creative. Nowadays I never feel guilty about making time for time off because I know that without rest, and time for joy, laziness, and play, I will feel burnt out, stressed, sad, and exhausted and I won’t be able to do the work I want to put out into the world. In a culture that wears exhaustion and business as a badge of honor, remember we are just animals who were meant to be roaming around the forest eating, pooping; and making babies; and in the way our society is built, overwork is literally killing us. Culture constantly makes us feel like we don’t do enough and we must be “hustling” and “grinding”… but don’t forget that rest is honorable, necessary, and sacred. In returning to the “new normal”, let’s instill values in our work environments that prioritize the individual in a holistic way. We are not robots and our brains are not computers. For the sake of our health and happiness during our brief time here on earth, the societal structures of work and how it relates to an individual’s mental health need an upgrade. Imma go back to doing nothing today❤️

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