Teresa Springer is the Director of Operations at Wellness Services Inc. in Flint, MI. She has helped establish impactful programs focused on harm reduction and racial equity. Teresa believes rest is vital because the work is heavy, and existing in a colonized world is exhausting, requiring intentional care.
Workshop content
In harm reduction, providers often prioritize others while neglecting their own well-being. This workshop explores Rest as an essential tool for both individuals and professionals. Exhaustion from navigating systemic oppression affects the body, mind, and spirit. Participants will learn about the seven types of rest—physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and spiritual—and how to integrate these into their daily lives.
By shifting focus from constant activity to intentional rest, we create space for healing and regeneration. This session will provide practical strategies for using rest as resistance to burnout and systemic oppression. Participants will engage in reflective exercises and leave with actionable plans to support long-term sustainability in their work.
This workshop is for professionals in harm reduction, advocacy, and care who seek balance between the demands of their work and the need for rest.
Learning objectives
Participants will explore how rest functions as a necessary tool for sustaining harm reduction work, recognizing it as an act of resistance against burnout and systemic oppression.
Participants will identify and understand the seven types of rest and how they contribute to overall well-being.
Participants will create personalized, actionable strategies for integrating rest into their routines, enhancing resilience and sustainability in their professional and personal lives.
Expected outcomes
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how intentional rest is vital for sustaining harm reduction work and for resisting the physical and emotional toll of systemic oppression.
Participants will develop and take home actionable strategies for incorporating the seven types of rest into their daily lives. These strategies will promote resilience, well-being, and long-term sustainability in both advocacy and care roles.