5 Things To Remember When Taking Unplanned Breaks From The Grind

Brown Girl Self-Care is where Black women reclaim our wholeness and power in a world that demands our labor but denies our humanity. Here, the care of ourselves—and the care for each other—become sacred acts of justice, powerful ways of honoring our humanity in a world that doesn’t.

In this episode of the Brown Girl Self-Care podcast, I’m opening up about what I learned from taking an unplanned break. After moving and needing time to settle in, I found myself sitting in the discomfort of not producing—of not showing up in the ways I usually do. And even though I knew I needed the rest, there was still that lingering feeling that I should be doing more.

I’ll share how this experience reminded me that we are often more tired than we realize, how the pressure to always be productive is deeply tied to colonization and capitalism, and why it’s so important to give ourselves permission to pause before burnout forces us to stop.

In this episode, I’m sharing five key things to keep in mind when you’re struggling to rest:

1. You’re probably more tired than you even realize. We’ve been conditioned to run on empty for so long that exhaustion can feel normal—until we finally stop.
2. Resting will make you uncomfortable at first. When we’re used to equating our worth with productivity, stepping back can feel unnatural. That’s colonization talking.
3. The world won’t fall apart because you take a break. We carry so much on our shoulders, but the truth is, things will keep moving even when we pause.
4. You don’t have to feel “ready” to rest. If you’re waiting for a perfect moment to slow down, it’ll never come. Your body, mind, and spirit need care now.
5. You have permission to pause. You don’t have to earn your rest. You don’t have to justify it. Rest is your birthright.

If you’ve ever felt uneasy about slowing down—like you’re somehow falling behind or not doing enough—this episode is for you.

Let’s take this journey together—we are worthy of this care.

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