Estimated read time: 5 minutes Summary Burnout is not just a personal failure or a lack of self-care, especially for BIPOC communities. It's often the cumulative result of navigating: historical trauma generational expectations systemic oppression This post explores how internalized productivity culture disproportionately affects BIPOC mental health and how reclaiming rest is a radical act of resistance and healing. Unlearning the Need to Be Twice as Good For much of my life, rest didn’t feel like an option. It felt like a weakness. Growing up, I learned, directly and indirectly,  that to survive, I had to keep going. There was no room for pause, softness, or asking for help.  There were times when I truly believed I had to earn my worth by staying busy, performing twice as hard, and never letting anyone see me struggle. I grew up thinking that constant motion was the norm,  that rest was something you did only at the end of the day, once everything else was d...

Summary Feeling constantly tired, even after a good night’s rest? It could be your to-do list that’s draining your energy.  🧠 Unfinished tasks create mental loops that keep your brain busy, leading to decision fatigue and mental burnout.  The more you leave undone, the more energy your brain uses to keep those tasks on its radar. 📉  In this post, we’ll explore how these open loops contribute to mental fatigue and how you can start closing them to feel more energized. 🌿 There are times when my depression feels so heavy that even the smallest tasks seem impossible. It’s not just the exhaustion in my body, but this deep mental fatigue that makes it hard to focus on anything. When I’m in a depressive state, the weight of unfinished tasks becomes even more overwhelming. Every little thing I leave undone feels like a burden, and my brain becomes consumed by it, reminding me of everything I need to do, but can't find the energy to act. This cycle of constantly pushing thing...