{"id":2980,"date":"2023-01-06T12:57:53","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T17:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deborahblackwell.com\/?p=2980"},"modified":"2023-01-06T12:58:31","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T17:58:31","slug":"recover-rest-repeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deborahblackwell.com\/?p=2980","title":{"rendered":"Recover, Rest, Repeat"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

By Deborah Blackwell<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It happens this time every year. The gleeful holiday swirl has passed; festivities, indulging, and cheer are all packed up and put away; and I come face-to-face with my present moment. It\u2019s so quiet, it\u2019s loud. The abrupt stop is palpable.<\/p>\n

While the season\u2019s residue still lingers, there\u2019s a vacancy in my mind demanding orders about what\u2019s up on the life agenda. Often, that\u2019s hunkering down, activating resolutions, and getting back to work. But I had to quit my job at Christmastime, and thanks to the holiday hoopla, I almost didn\u2019t notice.<\/p>\n

Last fall, I did a favor for a friend and it backfired \u2026 on both of us. She needed a temporary right-hand at work, I fit the bill, gave it my all, my body said no, and a few weeks in, I went down. Boom. The flurry of scary symptoms weren\u2019t unfamiliar \u2014 a nervous system overload that mimics cardiac and seizure events, exhaustion, dizziness, blurred vision, wildly unregulated body temperature and blood pressure \u2014 I\u2019ve been living with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) for two years now, after a \u2018bout of salmonella in 2020. I thought I could manage all of it. But the hectic job, the high-tech creativity, the social component, a fragile autonomic nervous system, and even a klutzy concussion, all brought me to my knees. I loved the opportunity. I assumed I was up to the task. I ignored the red flags. I pushed myself from a workload so intense, even my healthy colleagues struggled.<\/p>\n

Now, here I am, at the time of year when hope, optimism, and magical, wishful thinking that we can somehow erase the shitty parts of our past, prevail. But I have to face those unpredictable circumstances that steer, or worse, sling us in different directions when we least expect it. Sometimes we\u2019re in charge, sometimes we\u2019re not. But I always try to figure it out.<\/p>\n

It took my collapse to realize that when life says slow down, it means it. Quiet the mind and body. Think gentle, loving thoughts. Embrace internal stillness. Seek external simplicity.<\/p>\n

Sounds heavenly. But I\u2019m a Type A. It isn\u2019t that easy to just sit with myself, it\u2019s challenging and uncomfortable. Agitation emerges. Worry surfaces. Guilt rises. My mind climbs on the familiar rollercoaster and I always pushed my body to follow. Get busy, earn, learn! Never mind the stress, the worry, the fear. Just cope!<\/p>\n

But in the quiet of this new year, in this loud, present moment, I realize that what I think, and what I do about what I think, influences everything\u2014my body, my health, my life. That\u2019s huge. If I can get through this discomfort, I will have truly evolved.<\/p>\n

So, what goes in the vortex for 2023? What matters most? Job? Money? Health? How about quality of life?<\/p>\n

First things first. When times are tender, rest. And the rest will follow.<\/p>\n

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