Rest: The Ultimate Creative Fuel
This week was a tough one for me. I’ve been working really hard— and loving it! —on some new creative projects. Maybe it was too many late nights or not enough attention to my emotional well-being. On Thursday, I got a bit of a wake-up call. At first, I thought the bright spot in the corner of my vision was from staring at my computer screen too long. But after I took a computer break and the bright spot just kept growing, I knew this was something else. Why hello, migraine with an aura! 👋
The aura continued growing over the next several hours, created a blurry, disorienting S-curve across my vision. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), this wasn’t my first rodeo. Before having my baby, I’d only experienced one migraine with an aura. Post-baby, I’ve had six—an interesting side-effect of being a birthing parent! The point is, at least I knew what was happening to my body.
By the weekend, I was feeling mostly myself again and able to spend some time with family for my sweet nephew Sammy's birthday party. A few of us were chatting about how busy life feels as summer winds down. I found myself using the platitude, "You make time for the things that make you happy."
My aunt chimed in, saying that's not always possible.
I don't know, I thought, I really believe that's true...right? And then I thought about my body this past week. How often do I push myself too hard, even for something “fun”? Between work, family, and everyday life, maybe the best use of time isn’t always filling my creative cup. Maybe the most important thing I could do for myself is to take a nap—even just 15 minutes. If I had given myself that this past week, maybe I could have avoided my body literally forcing me to rest!
Sorting priorities is far from easy, but I hope you can give yourself the space and grace to say no this week— even if it’s something you really want to do—if you know in your heart it’s time to rest. It might just give you the boost you need! This is a marathon, not a sprint.