The National Day of Rest: A reminder that you are not your productivity

We are proud to share the first ever National Day of Rest, creating an opportunity to pledge to free ourselves of productivity anxiety, stress, and guilt; to choose rest and self acceptance above all else. 

What is productivity anxiety, you ask? It is the self created belief that you are measured by what you create, produce and contribute to the world. 

“I will be enough when I do X.”

“My life will be better when I do Y.”

Productivity anxiety is a silent killer of joy and self love. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately one in five adults in the U.S. (46.6 million) experiences mental illness in a given year. Entrepreneurs are two times more likely to suffer from depression. Women who work more than 45 hours a week face a 63 per cent greater risk of developing diabetes than women who work 35-45 hours a week. 

Baloo was honored to be present in the space created by WORD and Whut We Share for an open-hearted dialogue with experts and colleagues about rest and its impact. 

We started the day with a guided meditation by DREA, time to mingle and refresh with a tea ceremony led by .standstill tea, CBD by Tonic, and an enthralling talk by Paul Vincent, co-founder of Altus Health on the body’s natural design for happiness and health. 

Leading the conversation on self-care as an entrepreneur, Daniel Buezo, Nicole Garcia, Lizzy Okoro, Jasmine Solano, and Zoila Darton:

“When we are quiet, rested and centered we are equipped to reach our full creative potential, have clarity & vibrate on a higher plane sending those waves into the world.”

Part 2 of #NationalDayofRest kicked off with a positive affirmation sound bath by Geminelle at the Reparations Club. Her album, Mantra Loops, is designed to (re)phrase our experiences to find gratitude in daily moments. 

Career coach Jasmine Lamb led the group through a mindful business workshop to reflect on what might be holding us back from letting go, and what we can say ‘yes’ to.  

Follow the #NationalDayofRest for next year’s events unfolding in Los Angeles, New York, and beyond. 

We invite you to join us in taking the ‘Give My WORD’ pledge: 

Today is the day I give my WORD to put myself first.
Today is the day I show myself grace as I move through this journey.
Today is the day I choose rest over all else.
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Today is the day I decide to step beyond surviving and choose to thrive.
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I pledge to remember that life is not linear but instead --
a winding road filled with peaks and valleys.
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I pledge to slow down and enjoy the view,
To live as much as I dream.
And to know that simply being myself holds just as much value --
I am so much more than my accomplishments.
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Today, I pledge that no matter what I do, I am enough.
And no matter what I accomplish, my voice still matters.
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Today, I give my word to remember that I am so much more than my productivity.
Today, I give my word to never forget that I am always enough.