Abstract
Exhaustion is not about being tired. It is an intense feeling of restlessness, of insomnia, and awakening when I ask myself: have I exhausted all that is possible? Such a state of restlessness and wakefulness represents a turning point for having enough, and opens for new possibilities to act for social change. This reflexive essay departs from the notion that the language of exhaustion offers a wor(l)dly possibility for social work(ers) to engage in critical analytical reflexivity about our locations of power from the outset of our (g)local environment worlds. The aim is to trace the transformative possibilities of social change in social work practice through the literature of exhaustion (eg. Frichot, 2019 ; Spooner, 2011 ). The methodology is based on uses of narrative life writing genres such as poetry, written and photographic diary entrances between the 4th of April and 4th of June. The essay shows how tracing exhaustion during the pandemic, visualises a multiplicity of forms of oppression and privilege, an increasing attention and relationship to things, and border movements and languages. I suggest that social work replace the often-used terminology of social problems with exhaustive lists to address structural forms of racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, which has been further visualized through death, illness, violence, and poverty during the pandemic. I argue that the language of exhaustion is useful for reflexivity and action in social work practice through the way it contributes to intensified awareness, attention, engagement, listening, and agency to create social justice.
Highlights
Tiredness/tro€tthet/va€symys1 My heart beats pounding in my ears The chorus of a whistling/susande/vihellysten/sound Restlessness, insomnia, dreams, shivers Dots with red legs, dancing in the darkness/mo€rkret/pimeydessa€
My relocation has been disrupted and I work remotely. In this time of restriction and ‘lockdown’ of societies in the midst of a pandemic, I wish to trace the transformative force of social work practice through the literature on exhaustion (Barth, 1984; Deleuze and Uhlmann, 1995; Frichot, 2019; Spooner, 2011)
I was drawn to this language when I (Livholts, 2019b) read Helene Frichot’s (2019: 71) book Creative Ecologies, where she writes: Exhaustion is more profound than tiredness; its structure of feeling is rather about an anxious restlessness
Summary
Dear Reader, The last weeks have gradually infused a different rhythm into my life. I spend more time with myself, I read more, I avoid to go to the grocery store if not necessary, and I keep a distance to people. The epidemic has brought an increased awareness to my daily life, an uncertainty, sometimes a sense of failure. I feel a renewed attachment to windows, buildings, furniture, trees, flowers, and parks. It is as if the social distancing between people bring me closer to things; made me attentive to all forms of life, materials and architecture. I take a photo of the window in the room where I most often work at home. I have always loved this window, but I see it as more than a window; an extension of the flat intertwined with the large trees outside, with the ivy that climbs and embraces the tree trunks
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