Between courses, field work, theses, comprehensive exams, and all the many demands of scholarly life, the glimmering hope of a summer vacation feels hard to come by for many graduate students.
And while I’ve come to accept (somewhat begrudgingly) that the weeks-long total vacation I feel myself needing may not be feasible this season, that doesn’t mean I have to give up thinking about resting and recharging altogether.
Between long bouts of course work and research assistant work, I’ve come to recognize the potential for rest in many of my favourite activities. Though a walk by the water or an afternoon with a friend might not be the first things that come to mind when we think of rest, I’ve come to realize just how much these smalls moments can recharge me, returning me to a headspace that exceeds my role as a graduate student and worker.
Though these are small, personal examples of rest, and certainly not the cure to burn out or long-term overworking, I find it crucial to bring the necessity – the possibilities and difficulties – of rest into the depiction of the graduate experience.
Although the conversation around rest is increasingly visible, it remains fraught, almost taboo, in many academic spaces. This semester, I’m fortunate enough to be taking a seminar class with Dr. Maggie Berg, English Professor and co-author of The Slow Professor alongside Barbara K. Seeber. Although our class centres disability studies in the context of Victorian novels, our discussions have increasingly highlighted the conditional yet keen need for rest in the academy. Spurred by my conversations with friends and colleagues, I’m determined to prioritize rest in an often-restless line of work.
So, as I fulfill my academic requirements this term, I will be paying a keen attention to my own needs. With anything from picnics to movies to ice cream sandwiches and swimming in the lake, I’m choosing to reclaim at least some of the joy of summer vacation and recharging as much and as often as I can.
For more resources on resting and recharging at Queen’s this summer, click here to learn more about the Refresh and Recharge series hosted by Student Wellness and the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.