Letter 25: Full.

Welcome to the 25th?‘R’ Letter.?

R for ‘Rest’.

Not a privilege, nor a taboo.

A primary need we all have.

Every Wednesday,?The?‘R’ Letter?sheds light on a professional and their relationship to Rest.

The?‘R’ Letter?is curated by?Bérénice K. Schramm?as an applied research project based on?Tricia Hersey’s?trailblazing book?Rest is Resistance?(2022) and decade-long work?at?The Nap Ministry?(including on?IG).?

This week,?The?'R' Letter?is a full conversation with?global health professional Rihana Diabo .?

Rihana self-describes as a burkinabe who lives in Geneva. Her work centers around supporting access to innovative pharmaceutical products for populations living in the Global South. After a stint working on epidemic and pandemic preparedness during the acute phase of Covid-19, she is currently on a short sabbatical – striving to rest!

~ Rihana's Relationship to Rest ~        

I have always struggled with rest. My parents were very laid back and did not impose a bedtime. I have memories of staying up all night to read Harry Potter at a young age.?

Later after I turned 15, I started to build some financial independence. For many years I was working several hours after school, babysitting at night, and working full time over the summer. In college, during the worst of such stretches, I was juggling a full time schedule as a student in one of the most stressful schools in America; interning 10 hours a week for a nonprofit, and holding several part time jobs. I burned out and learned the hard way that Humans are not machines, and that rest (or at least unscheduled time) was indispensable.?

I burned out and learned the hard way that Humans are not machines, and that rest (or at least unscheduled time) was indispensable.?

When I started my professional career I had a reputation for working hard, and honestly did not mind working overtime. I was not - I am not - good at slowing down, and taking rest at all. It is work in progress!

~ Rihana's Rest Teachers ~        

My daughter is my rest teacher. This started before she was born. Starting on week 6 of the pregnancy I was hit by some severe lethargy. It started slowly: I was too tired to sit in an office chair, and needed multiple naps a day. Then it got worse: I could no longer? bear to do, smell, see or eat anything.?

My daughter is my rest teacher.

The diagnosis came after I had lost 10 kgs in 3 weeks. I had hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition known to affect 2-3 percent of pregnant people and which manifests as an intolerance to food and drinks.?

Because I was too weak for anything, there really was nothing left to do but rest.?

Suffering from a rare condition during pregnancy, there really was nothing left to do but rest.

Doctors could not guarantee that I would get better before giving birth so I had to resign myself to leaning into the lack of activities (intellectual or physical) without knowing when it would end. In the end I was in bed for 3 months.?

After the birth of my daughter, my relation to rest changed. Here is a person who requires my full attention? - and for her first year, my body to hold and feed her - anytime she is around. There is no faking it.? The expression “sleep when the baby sleeps” is maddening, but I have learned that when the baby sleeps, even if you cannot sleep, you definitely should not make yourself more tired.?

Rest is a lot more valuable now that someone else depends on me!

I strive to have routines. I try to work more efficiently, and most importantly, I learned - I am learning - to say no and to outsource things as much as possible. Rest is a lot more valuable now that someone else depends on me!?

~ Rihana's Rest Praxis ~        

My rest practice at work is to line up interesting long form articles that I can read between tasks to ‘rinse my brain.’? This may not work for everyone, but reading is one of the most relaxing activities for me. It gives for mini breaks especially during the most intense stretches of work.?

Reading is one of the most relaxing activities for me.

My other rest practice is to turn off my work phone notifications during the weekend and on holidays. I still log in every now and then to check what is going on, but having notifications off means I do so on a schedule that works for me.?

Having notifications off means I do so on a schedule that works for me.?

At home, I try to carve out 30 mins either at the beginning or at the end of the day to unwind.

~ Rihana's Rest Artifact ~        

Read when the baby sleeps!