Defining Rest as Liberation

In the inaugural episode of The Rest of Us podcast, host Dana Tenille Weekes explores rest as a form of self-liberation and introduces listeners to her definition of rest. Dana delves into the fundamentals of her definition, including self-acceptance, agency, and belonging, and why rest is a mindset and not simply a self-care practice. In doing so, Dana reads a poem by Nikki Giovanni titled “Revolutionary Dreams.”

Released on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day of the U.S. presidential inauguration, Dana invites listeners to join a community committed to making rest a revolutionary act.

What You’ll Settle Into 

• Rest as liberation is about being deeply connected to your agency. It is a “liberating form of self-acceptance where you consciously navigate the world in your agency and belonging.” 
• The terms “self-acceptance,” “consciously,” “agency,” and “belonging” have specific meanings in this definition of rest.
• Rest will require you to unlearn and can be isolating because our society does not encourage, let alone reward, this liberatory behavior.

Key Quotes & Insights

“Our society wants us to decenter ourselves and desire certain standards of success. But these same standards are what are keeping us in unrest.”

“Are you staying busy to receive validation from people who wake up every morning and you are not first, second, or third on their mind?”

“I have noticed that while the movement of rest has been building, especially for Black women, we are told to rest, but we are not shown how.”

Mentions

Revolutionary Dreams by Nikki Giovanni

LENGTH: 25 minutes

00:00 Welcome to The Rest of Us Podcast
00:26 Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Inauguration Day
00:55 The Importance of Rest as Liberation
02:46 Defining Rest as Liberation
03:24 Nikki Giovanni’s Revolutionary Dreams
06:00 Self-Acceptance and Conscious Living
08:46 Agency and Belonging
10:46 Survival Mode vs. Rest
13:52 Personal Journey of Rest
19:51 Reflection and Closing Thoughts