Rest or Reprieve?
Why True Healing Requires More Than Just a Break
One of the things I enjoy most about getting older is becoming more self-aware — and gaining a healthier perspective on life. For most of my adult life, I wore my constant fatigue like a badge of honor, seeing it as proof of my ambition, my hustle, my drive. But somewhere along the way, I began to question it.
Why was I always so tired?
Why did "rest" never really leave me feeling restored?
Why did even moments of downtime feel more like survival than healing?
The older I got, the more I realized that my exhaustion wasn’t a reflection of my commitment — it was a signal that something was fundamentally awry. That realization sent me on a deeper exploration:
Was I truly resting…or was I merely getting reprieve?
And if I was not, then what were the forces at play keeping me from truly resting.
In a country that prides itself on hard work, ingenuity, and relentless drive, it’s no surprise that we are facing an unprecedented crisis of exhaustion. Americans, on every front, are burned out — emotionally, mentally, physically. We see it in the statistics around workplace dissatisfaction. We hear it in the growing cries for "mental health days." We feel it in our bones, in our relationships, in our inability to concentrate, to care, to hope.
And yet, for all the calls to "take care of yourself" and "slow down," a deeper question remains largely unexamined:
Are we actually getting rest, or are we just getting reprieve?
The Difference Between Rest and Reprieve
Rest is true restoration.
It is deep. It is cellular.
It nourishes the mind, body, and soul.
It is an intentional slowing down for the sake of healing, recalibration, and replenishment.
Rest fortifies.
Reprieve, on the other hand, is a pause.
A temporary lifting of the burden — but the burden is waiting for you right where you left it.
It is collapsing onto the couch after a 10-hour workday, binge-watching a show to drown out the noise, before waking up the next day and doing it all again.
It is surviving, not thriving.
For many Americans, what we call “rest” is often just reprieve—a brief escape from a cycle that leaves us fundamentally unchanged, and fundamentally exhausted.
Why Aren't We Resting?
It would be easy — and deeply unfair — to place the blame solely on individuals.
Because the reality is: the structure of American life makes rest nearly impossible.
Work demands: In a nation where the 40-hour workweek often spills into 50, 60, or even 70 hours, time is a luxury few can afford.
Financial insecurity: The cost of living is rising faster than wages, leaving many scrambling just to survive. One missed paycheck can mean eviction or going without healthcare.
Family pressures: Parenting, caregiving, managing households — often without sufficient support — leaves little time for anything beyond necessities.
Cultural values: We live in a culture that valorizes exhaustion as a badge of honor. If you’re not busy, you’re seen as lazy or unmotivated.
Technological tethering: We are always reachable, always online, always expected to respond. The lines between work and home are obliterated.
In short, the American lifestyle is not designed for rest. It’s designed for productivity. And when human beings are reduced to units of productivity, rest is an afterthought at best — a guilty indulgence at worst.
Rest Is Revolutionary
In some cultures, rest is not earned — it is expected.
It is built into the rhythms of daily life.
In Spain, the tradition of siesta, while diminished in modern times, reflects a historic acknowledgment of the human need to pause, to eat, to nap, to breathe.
In Denmark, the concept of hygge (coziness, comfort, and connection) promotes slowing down and cultivating joy in everyday moments.
In many Indigenous cultures, rest is cyclical, seasonal. It is attuned to the rhythms of nature, honoring times of harvest, times of hibernation, times of stillness.
These cultures recognize what America too often forgets: We are not machines.
To rest is not to fall behind.
To rest is to survive.
To rest is to imagine a different way of living.
How We Move Toward True Rest
On the individual level:
Reclaim your time — as best you can. Set boundaries around work, even if imperfectly.
Learn the difference between escape and restoration. Watching TV may feel good in the moment, but does it leave you feeling nourished or numb?
Honor small rituals of rest: Ten minutes in the sun, a quiet cup of tea, an early night’s sleep. They matter.
Reject guilt: You are not lazy for needing rest. You are human.
On the societal level:
Shorten the workweek: Research shows that a 4-day workweek increases productivity and reduces burnout.
Provide universal healthcare: No one should have to work themselves to death out of fear of medical bankruptcy.
Mandate paid leave: Parental leave, sick leave, mental health leave — these should not be privileges, but rights.
Foster a culture that values wholeness over hustle: We must reimagine success, not as exhaustion, but as joy, connection, and sustainability.
On the employer level:
Normalize rest. Leaders set the tone: if they model unhealthy work habits, employees will feel pressured to emulate them.
Design for humanity. Policies and expectations should reflect the reality that employees are people, not perpetual motion machines.
Consider This:
Most Americans aren't choosing to live in a cycle of endless reprieve.
They are surviving a system that offers them no other option.
But survival is not enough.
We deserve more.
We deserve restoration.
We deserve lives that feel alive.
Rest is not a reward for productivity.
Rest is a human right.
And reclaiming it — personally, culturally, politically — might just be one of the most important acts of resistance we can undertake.
Reader, As You Step Back Into Your Life, Hold This Affirmation Close:
"I am worthy of rest.
Rest is not something I earn — it is something I deserve.
In honoring my need for rest, I honor my humanity.
I choose to rest my mind, my body, my soul and my heart.
When I rest, I heal.
When I heal, I grow.
When I grow, I am better for myself and for those around me.
I release guilt.
I embrace restoration.
I welcome the peace that comes with caring for myself, fully and without apology."
Thank You for Being Here
Thank you, truly, for taking the time to read and reflect with me today.
Every person who reads these words, who carries them into their life in some small way, makes the world a little softer, a little wiser, a little more human, I HOPE.
If you found value in this piece, I would be deeply grateful if you would consider subscribing to the newsletter.
Your subscription not only supports my work, but also helps me reach a broader community of people who are seeking reflection, connection, and renewal — just like you.
I also invite you to please like the piece, share it with someone who might need this reminder, and comment below with your thoughts.
I would love to hear how the ideas of rest and reprieve land with you.
Until next time,
— Jackie
This was so needed today, thank you.