Summary
This pandemic was a season of healing for me,” was something Luz Bractcher never thought she’d say. Yet despite the devastation caused by shared global trauma, Luz discovered that the very life changes she faced as a result of lockdowns and physical distancing also allowed her an opportunity to address her mental, emotional, and creative health needs. In this session, Luz shares her personal story of entering the pandemic in a state of burnout and how the season of isolation redefined the way she invited herself and her community into restful creativity. As the risks of COVID diminish, and we tentatively reintegrate into the real world, this presentation focuses on 3 things to explore moving forward: Prioritizing rest as a way to resist hustle culture and toxic capitalism How our definition of “enough” directly impacts our approach to mental and emotional health in the workforce How to encourage creative play into your work as a way to cultivate connection.
Key Insights
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Rest is a human right and essential for sustainable creativity and wellbeing, not a luxury or weakness.
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The cultural lies 'I don't have time to rest,' 'I am what I do,' and 'I will never be enough' deeply damage designers' mental health.
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Burnout often stems from toxic codependency with work and ignoring neurodivergent and personal needs.
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Daily rituals and intentional boundaries, like timed work periods and shared stand-ups, help protect energy and foster rest.
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Taking naps is a powerful, active form of rest that improves problem solving, creativity, and presence.
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Busyness is glorified as a virtue, but personal worth should be measured by being, not by what is produced.
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The scarcity mindset in hustle culture fuels an endless pursuit of more, preventing satisfaction with 'enough'.
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The Croatian concept of fiaka embodies an abundance of enough—choosing rest and presence over relentless productivity.
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Design leaders should advocate for human-centered restful environments by honoring limits, normalizing breaks, and protecting creative rhythms.
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Inviting rest into work culture can increase productivity and creativity, supported by examples like sleep pods improving output.
Notable Quotes
"If you get anything from this talk, please let it be take a nap."
"I wasn’t doing much rest or delight at the start of the pandemic."
"It’s not that we don’t have enough time; it’s that our attention is fully accounted for and overtaxed."
"If busyness is a virtue, then rest is the cheap currency for the poor in spirit."
"Who are you without the doing? What if your value is measured by your being and not by your output?"
"More isn’t the same as growth, and more isn’t the same as enough."
"The rush and pressure of modern life are a form of innate violence that destroys our capacity for peace."
"Enough means knowing what the good life is based on my needs and limitations—success that isn’t rooted in violence."
"Rest is a human right, not a privilege."
"You don’t have to fill every moment; you absolutely have the freedom to do nothing."
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