We’re closing in on mid-December and I don’t know about you, but my desire to do *all of the things!* and *none of the things!* is at an all time high. I feel this push and pull throughout the year, but something about the holidays seems to heighten this for me. I’m truly excited to spend time with people—to go to holiday gatherings, see friends, go to holiday markets, decorate with my family, etc. But I also feel this pull toward spending some restorative time alone with a notebook and cozy lights and fewer obligations. Maybe it’s just my to-do list that is making me feel like I need to escape. But I also have all these ideas that I don’t feel like I’m tending too, including a new bigger, juicier project that I want to cultivate to a point that I can start talking about it with you in this newsletter! With this and other things, I keep thinking, “…in January. In January I’ll focus on that.” But the January list is getting… long! Perhaps yours is too?
The reality is, there is only so much time in a day and only so much energy to spend. Time and energy are finite resources. They are lovely gifts, and they are not within your control. All you can do is give them your love and attention.
Unlike time, you can do things to restore energy! The longer you ignore the signs that energy levels are too low, the higher the price becomes to restore. Restore regularly! You don’t have to earn rest. You simply need it because you are human! There’s no way around it.
It’s taken me a long time to embrace this mindset, and I still fight it regularly. I spent years fighting my autoimmune disease Myasthenia Gravis thinking that I could simply outwill it with enough caffeine and sheer stubbornness. It turns out that approach made things a lot more difficult. The reality is, I have less energy than I would like—which I think this is true for everyone whether you manage a chronic illness or not! Who wouldn’t want more energy? But we have what we have. All we can do is be purposeful with how we spend the energy we do have.
So, if you’re feeling depleted, I offer you this mantra: Less Hustle, More Naps. I don’t necessarily mean this in a literal, you should sleep more way—although, I’m guessing you could use more sleep. (Just a guess!) I mean it more in a “finding time to do things that refill your energy reserves” sort of way. Hustling isn’t possible 24/7. It’s ok to take a breather. It’s ok, and quite necessary, to do things that refill you!
If you are a paid subscriber, be sure to scroll to the end to download this sleepy fox as an art print! Perhaps you have a friend who could use a reminder to slow down and take care of themselves? Print out this print, frame it, boom—you have a great gift!
I also just added this design to my store on t-shirts! If you want to order this as a gift, I recommend ordering in the next couple days to ensure Christmas delivery!
In case you missed it, I shared gift ideas a couple weeks ago! Check it out here.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me. In case you missed it, last week I shared a zine for problematic Night Brains, plus thoughts on the book "Wintering" by Katherine May. You can check out that post here.
I also recently launched a new paid tier of the newsletter: Print Club! The free version of this newsletter will stay exactly the same, but paid subscribers will also get access to download printable versions of zines or art prints each week. This week I’m sharing my sleepy fox art print to remind you to rest more! It’s ok—you don’t have to “earn” it!
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