Rest as Resistance

Overcoming Compassion Fatique

By Rev.Dr. Shelley D. Best

There was a time not too long ago when I believed I was thriving. I was running at full speed, moving from boardrooms to stages to city meetings—doing the work I believed I was called to do. But beneath the surface, something was wrong. Last year, at The G

reater Hartford Festival of Jazz of all places, I realized something wasn’t right. My head was throbing. I kept my sunglasses on to hide my red, weary eyes. I wasn’t trying to be mysterious—I was hiding.

My body had been whispering to me for months, and I had been ignoring it. The whispers turned into a scream. A trip to the eye doctor revealed I had bleeding behind my eyes. My blood pressure was dangerously high. My blood sugar was out of control. My body was inflamed. I was breaking down. The stress I was carrying had nearly killed me. And I didn’t even realize it.

Leaving my role at the Greater Hartford Arts Council was painful. But I can say now, without a doubt, that it saved my life. The environment I had been working in made me sick. It wore me down, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. And I’m here, gratefully alive, to tell you: this is not how it has to be.

The Silent Toll of Stress

Stress doesn’t always come with sirens or breaking news banners. Often, it shows up subtly—through chronic fatigue, mental fog, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and even numbness. Many of us have trained ourselves to function in this state. We think it’s normal. But it isn’t.

When we’re under constant pressure, our bodies activate the sympathetic nervous system—our ancient internal alarm system. This “fight, flight, freeze, or fawn” response pumps our bloodstream with adrenaline and cortisol. It’s meant to protect us from sudden threats. However, when those “threats” are not lions or tigers, but racism, economic hardship, systemic injustice, burnout, and compassion fatigue—we remain stuck in survival mode.

And that long-term activation causes serious harm: high blood pressure, inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, digestive issues, memory problems, emotional exhaustion. It wears us out from the inside.

But here's the good news: We also have the ability to activate our parasympathetic nervous system—the system responsible for rest, repair, and restoration. This is known as the “rest and digest” response. It calms our heart rate, lowers our blood pressure, reduces inflammation, supports immune function, and brings us back into balance.

Rest isn’t passive. It’s medicine.
And when we make space for true rest, our bodies remember how to heal.

Rest Is Resistance

Many of us—especially Black women and people of color—have internalized the lie that we must give 200% to get 100% results. We have subscribed to the grind culture where we are always strong, always be productive, always pushing. We’ve been told we are lazy, even as we overextend ourselves, carry the load, and hold up entire communities.

That is a lie. And it’s killing us.

That’s why I want to honor and lift up the work of The Nap Ministry, founded by Tricia Hersey, who first introduced the phrase Rest is Resistance into the public consciousness. Her message is simple and revolutionary: Rest is not a luxury—it’s reparations.

When we choose to rest, we reclaim our humanity.
We reject grind culture. We disrupt systems that profit off our exhaustion. We say: My body is sacred. My healing is necessary. My rest is resistance.

From Burned Out to Lit Up

In the spirit of the Creative Disruptor® movement, I am creating space for what I call a Sacred Reset—a place where we don’t have to be “on.” A space where our nervous systems can finally exhale.

✨ From Burned Out to Lit Up: A Time of Sacred Reset

May 15 | 7:00–9:00 PM EST

This is a special offering for caregivers, changemakers, artists, advocates, educators—anyone who is tired of running on empty. Together, we will engage in practices that restore balance to the body and peace to the mind.

You’ll experience:

• Gentle, accessible restorative yoga for all bodies

• Mindfulness practices grounded in everyday life

• Yoga Nidra (deep, healing rest)

• Contemplative prayer and embodied stillness

• Tools to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and reclaim your power

I bring to this moment 35 years of experience as a minister, 200-hour yoga certification, and mindfulness training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. This work is rooted in love, resistance, and the deep belief that you deserve to be well.

Come Rest With Us

If your body is carrying too much, if your soul is weary, if you’ve been pretending everything’s okay when you know it’s not—this moment is for you.

Rest is not retreat.
It’s a radical, revolutionary choice.
It’s a declaration: I choose life.

I hope you’ll join me.

Register now at

https://www.revdrshelley.com/rsvp-4
Spots are limited. Sacred space is waiting.