Sick Days and Self-Care: Navigating Forced Rest as a Business Owner

Messy Liberation: Feminist Conversations about Politics and Pop Culture

In this episode of Messy Liberation, co-hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dive deep into the complex emotions and societal pressures that come with forced rest. Becky shares her recent experience with a debilitating illness that left her bedridden and riddled with guilt, despite being an advocate for rest and self-care. Taina reflects on her extended hospital stay and the existential crisis it triggered. Together, they explore how gender roles, societal expectations, and toxic individualism impact women's ability to rest without guilt. They discuss the importance of collective care, redefining success, and embracing the messy process of growth and healing. Plus, they address a listener's question about balancing business demands as a single mom, emphasizing community support and enjoying the journey.

Key Takeaways:

• Forced Rest and Guilt: Despite advocating for rest, many women feel immense guilt when they are forced to rest due to illness, stemming from societal conditioning and internalized gender norms.
• Gender Roles and Self-Care: Women are often socialized to be nurturers and doers, making it difficult to embrace rest without feeling guilty or unproductive.
• Existential Crisis: Forced rest can trigger deep existential crises, challenging one's sense of control and agency in life and business.
• Societal Expectations: External pressures and societal expectations around success, productivity, and femininity contribute to the guilt and stress women feel when resting.
• Toxic Individualism: The harmful belief in self-reliance and independence can prevent women from seeking or accepting help, exacerbating feelings of guilt and isolation.
• Collective Care: Embracing collective care and community support can alleviate the pressure of toxic individualism and foster a healthier approach to self-care and business growth.
• Redefining Success: Shifting focus from external achievements to enjoying the process and setting personal boundaries can lead to a more fulfilling and sustainable business practice.
• Balancing Business and Personal Life: For single moms and entrepreneurs, integrating community support and recognizing the interconnectedness of personal and professional roles can create a more balanced and manageable workload.
• Creative Process: Viewing business growth as a creative and ongoing process can help alleviate the pressure of immediate results and allow for more sustainable and enjoyable progress.

Tune in to Messy Liberation for a candid conversation about the realities of forced rest, the systemic issues that perpetuate guilt, and practical steps toward embracing collective care and redefining success on your own terms.

LEARN MORE:

• Taina Brown WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | THREADS
• Becky Mollenkamp WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | THREADS | FEMINIST FOUNDERS