Today@Dal

What is your relationship with rest? What does rest look like in academia? What could a rested world look like?

Working off of Tricia Hersey’s (2022) Rest is Resistance framework, we will explore Hersey’s “Rest” component to identify tools for self-care, rest, and boundaries as an instructor or staff member existing and working in academic spaces. Reading/listening to the book is recommended but not required to participate in discussions around these topics, and all are welcome.

Faculty members interested in joining the discussion can email laurel.schut@dal.ca by Friday March 15. A poll will then be sent to all interested individuals to schedule meeting times based on everyone’s availability and meeting location preference (in-person or online).

About the book

Rest is Resistance is a call-to-action for anyone suffering from the toxic urgency of modern-day life. It centres around the systemic issues that cause us to overwork, and ultimately burn out, and offers us liberation through rest. In its simplest form, rest becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy. Slowing down moves us away from trying to operate at machine levels of productivity, to make us all more human.

In this fierce and tender manifesto, Tricia Hersey elevates rest as a divine right, and paves the way towards a more well-rested life that empowers imagination, invention, and healing. Divided into four sections, Rest is Resistance explains Tricia's philosophy and methods, and includes both storytelling and practical advice. It will offer you the guidance and context to craft a rest practice for long-term health, both within yourself and society as a whole.

Rest is Resistance is not self-care: it is the urgent wake-up call you need to nap, rest and, most importantly, dream once more. (Hersey, 2022)

Read more about Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto. 

Facilitator

Laurel Schut, Associate Director (Acting) and Instructor, College of Sustainability and Faculty Associate, Centre for Learning and Teaching