Make Rest Great Again

The antidote to burnout culture

Can you name your state of mind as you read these words?

You may be skimming through these words in a mild to moderate state of hurry. You are possibly looking, anxiously scanning for the single treasure, the one golden nugget that is The Answer. It’s a sign of the times; we are all attention and time poor, overwhelmed with content, anxious to ‘sort our lives out’.

But in reading these words, I invite you to have a different, slower experience. To notice the

space

between

the

words.

If you imagine telling yourself that right in this moment you are going to slow everything right down, right right down, notice if there is any resistance to that.

Can you notice if there is a part of you driving you forwards, that does not feel safe to slow down?

What stories does this part of you carry?

There is often the superficial story, and the deeper fear. The superficial story says ‘I have so much to do, if I don’t get on top of this stuff something bad is going to happen.’

The deeper fear, the one we rarely interrogate, is about that bad thing that could happen if we slowed down or stopped. Can you take a moment now to listen more deeply? What is the bad thing or things you are afraid will happen if you slow everything down right now?

Underneath our busyness often lies a deeper fear—the fear of death. That this body will ultimately return to maggot-ridden dust is a deeply uncomfortable truth – it terrifies us. To defend ourselves against this terror, we get busy, we get productive, we want to achieve big goals, leave a legacy, raise incredible children, determined to leave our mark before the clock runs out.

Meanwhile, our culture rewards this denial. Every new technology promises more—more productivity, more friends, more money, more impact. Humanity is drowning in digital noise, producing as much information in 15 minutes as we did from the dawn of civilization to 2003. We’ve created the digital equivalent of factory farming - vast, industrial-scale operations churning out digital feed by the terabyte. Our brains are exhausted. Our dopamine receptors are like overworked waiting staff in a restaurant packed to capacity, scrambling to serve endless orders for ‘more, more, more.’ Our default state has become ‘overwhelmed’. Burnout is the new black.

So join me in a new political movement: Let’s Make Rest Great Again! (I was going for Make Rest Sexy Again, but ‘MRSA’ gave me the shivers.) We need to Make Rest Great Again. We need to take a radical stance against the powers - inner and outer powers - that are driving us to burnout. Rest isn’t just a luxury—it’s an act of rebellion. Against inner critics that say we’re not enough. Against a society that glorifies productivity to the point of burnout.

And it is a social dilemma. We need to support each other to rest more. Lets normalise it. Lets not judge ourselves or each other for slowing down, taking a nap, a nice bath, for not doing that task that feels so important now, but on our deathbeds we would likely not give it an urgent/important rating of 10. Lets not judge ourselves or each other for not being the multi-award-winning, multi-millionnaire, billion followers on Youtube paradigms of ‘success’.

Humanity needs a different paradigm. Look at our pets, dogs and cats and the like. They’ve mastered the art of rest. They don’t worry about legacies, smartphones, or an infinitely extendable to-do-list. They live in their bodies. Maybe it’s time we learned to do the same. Down, down, downward dog.

So, as you finish reading these words, try something radical: Pause. Close your eyes for a moment. Take three deep breaths. Feel the weight of your body sink into the chair. Let your shoulders drop, your jaw unclench. Rest isn’t a reward—it’s your birthright. Say these words with me:

‘I give myself permission to rest.’

Together, we are making rest great again.

Now I am sure there is something very urgent and important you need to check on your phone. Until next time friends.

With Love

Louis

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If you’re feeling burned out or stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, I invite you to explore my 1-1 coaching programme: Redefining Success—A Sanctuary for Exhausted Leaders. This program is designed for leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs — people with a deep sense of responsibility who have achieved ‘success,’ but at a cost. Together, we’ll break the spell of burnout and redefine success in a way that feels sustainable and true to who you are.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, book a discovery call here.