So you feel exhausted and your every cell is begging you to stop and rest — but you don’t give in.
You keep pushing and you even convince yourself that you are winning at life by doing so. That this is how it's supposed to be, and you're proving how strong you are by just going on, through the fatigue, the never ending to-do list, the demands of everyone and everything around you.
And the people around you, they seem to admire you more when you push more. They say "wow!" when you achieve something you put all your blood, sweat and tears into, and you feel a little bit of satisfaction at the acknowledgement, but before you know it, that pleasure wears off and you're right back where you started.
So you look for the next thing to work your ass away on, so you can do it all over again, just for that little bit of appreciation and value that you long for.
Meanwhile, your body is hanging on for dear life, waiting for the first moment that you stop, so it can drag you into bed by making you sick, and finally forced to rest. That is, if you even respect your body enough to listen when you're sick.
Sounds familiar?
You're not alone. I lived my life this way — and I felt like I was winning just by how hard I was willing to push my own limits. I could do what others couldn't do simply because I had nothing to lose, and there was no stopping me.
But no matter how much fun you're having, that burnout eventually does show up. It hits you like a ton of bricks in the face. It shows up as thyroid issues, and skin problems and digestive issues and fatigue and falling hair and growing waistlines.
Because you just keep filling your body with demands, and asking it to keep performing, even when what it really needs is a break to recover.
So what do you do?
What do you do in a world that demands your submission just so you can stay alive? What do you do when your job and your paycheck demand that you keep doing more, and more and more?
How can you stop in a culture that thrives on you exploiting yourself completely?
This is how:
You change the culture.
You start with a small group of people who get it, and who are willing and able to see you, love you and support you, no matter how productive you are or aren't.
You listen to each other and you share with each other and you realize that you don't have to struggle so hard to feel seen and supported.
You discover that you deserve to be supported even when you're fatigued and distressed — and not just so you can get back on the horse to be productive again.
You find out that you can feel safe amongst people you barely know, and that they are willing to hold space for your humanity, no matter how pathetic you're feeling.
You feel so relieved at being allowed to simply be human, that you can't stop talking about how great this experience is.
You tell everyone you meet, and they get so intrigued they ask how they can join.
Suddenly you hear more and more people are trying it out and you start seeing people posting online about how they've quit hustling and grinding, because they've moved to a new way of being together with other people.
It starts being cool to work only two weeks every month, and spending the other two weeks just hanging with your circle, who don't DO anything, they just like to BE together.
Governments and CEOs start declaring how they are investing profits back into communities in order to help people recover, regenerate, and relax.
Scientists start to notice that the planet is starting to heal itself because the level of human activity has gone down by almost 50%, and people are happy with having less because they are spending more time supporting each other and accepting each other's humanity, instead of trying to outrun it.
The circles of humans starts to move outdoors, and you see people just sitting together peacefully listening to each other and supporting each other, and you smile knowing that even though you're in your two weeks of working, soon enough you'll be back with your own circle to just BE.
You notice your own body is healing, too. You're more relaxed, you have more creative ideas, and you aren't trying to do as much.
Social media changes to become about connecting to your own circle — and UX designers start to prioritize curated content so you have LESS to consume, instead of more.
The economy starts to value having and doing LESS - and our food and media and culture starts to be RICHER because people get to spend more time working on something they love, instead of just trying to survive.
There are reports of people experiencing more joy and less stress, more spontaneous creative ideas, and burnout becomes a thing of the past.
Mental health issues start to disappear, and people start to feel more connected to spirituality, reporting magical experiences simply while sitting in a circle with people who support them.
Women and non binary people start to gain more leadership at work, as they guide everyone in how to tune inwards to their bodies, the truth that comes from this vessel, and how to respect it and flow with it.
Abuse and exploitation starts to disappear because everyone is supported, seen, held, and nobody feels the need to fight or compete anymore.
Consumption and production decrease because people aren't wasting their energy making money to impress people they don't even know.
People smile on the street as they walk by, or even just to themselves.
The news becomes about how humans are restoring and regenerating the natural world, and how companies are shifting towards circularity because putting back what you took becomes the new norm.
The global temperature starts to lower.
There is no rush to travel during summer holidays because people are deeply content where they are.
The next generation grows up with a level of consciousness and divine expression that's never been seen before in an entire generation.
Humanity rises in its own evolution — people start to develop superhuman powers of intuition, expression and magic — because they aren't fighting to survive.
The macho men who were leaders of yesterday are in your circle too, except now they're weeping tears of grief, and you're so evolved that you're comforting them and holding space for their grief, without even a tinge of resentment for the past.
It's normal to talk about your menstrual cycle with the people you know, so that everyone moves in alignment with your body, and you don't just feel supported, you are actually guiding them towards their best work simply by listening to what you need for yourself.
People gather around you in hope of your wisdom, bringing gifts of support for your magical body that holds that wisdom in the week before your bleed. You receive chocolate and berries and soft shawls and massages and baths and an absolute, total lack of demands on your being.
Terms like "pre menstrual syndrome" or PMS disappear from the vocabulary, and are replaced by terms like "the gift of truth" and "sacred wisdom week".
You feel loved, supported, seen, actually: DIVINE — and you don't feel any pressure to find a partner or produce a child because you're already creating so much just by being you.
And if you don't bleed, you feel loved, supported, seen, actually: DIVINE — and you don't feel any pressure to perform and earn to secure the safety of those you're in charge of, because all you have to do is let down your armor and be willing to witness the emotions in yourself and others, and that creates more safety than you could ever imagine.
Your body relaxes. Your mind awakens.
Your spirit rises.
And to think —
it all started with you joining the first circle of Rest.
Rest to Harvest
—
A cultural revolution that starts with you and a small group of people who believe a more beautiful world is possible, by going through the vulnerability of our humanity, collectively, together.
We start in September 2023. Join us or simply express your interest by clicking here.
3 months of your own private circle within which to Rest to Harvest.