#Rest and Recovery

[palatinewolfsblog]

A gentle reminder (with many thanks to Tricia Hersey).

[marithempressz]

Pick a Card: What Does Your Future Self Want to Tell You?

Time isn’t as linear as it seems—and sometimes, the version of you who has already made it through the storm has something to say. In this reading, we’ll tune into the voice of your future self to receive guidance, reassurance, or maybe just a gentle nudge in the right direction. Take a deep breath, center yourself, and choose the pile that calls to your intuition. The message waiting for you might be just what you need right now.

pile 1, pile 2, pile 3

Pile 1

The Emperor, Nine of Wands, The Tower, Ace of Cups

I know you’ve been longing for a new beginning—something truly enriching, something beyond the chaos you're currently in. But there’s a structure in your mind that you must break. This feels like something bigger than you, something involving many people—a familiar pattern related to masculine figures in your family. It was there even before you were born; your mother already carried this wound.

Whatever your gender, the Masculine within you is being broken down. If this has been a recurring theme in your life, take this as confirmation from your future self that you’re breaking free from it.

Still, it won’t be easy. I can imagine how exhausted those drawn to this pile might feel, but there's an important message here: be loving with yourself along the way. I don’t think it will be harder than when your journey first began—probably not—but there are still layers that need your attention.

Know that your future self and your guides are here to support you. There’s a version of you that is already free—free from the inner father who constantly criticizes you, or from the lingering feeling that there's nothing left for you. Connect with that version of yourself.

Pile 2

Six of Pentacles, The Hanged Man, Eight of Swords, Page of Pentacles

Oof. You might be in a very uncomfortable situation right now—feeling trapped, yet at the same time trying to understand what exactly brought you here. I don’t sense desperation; it feels like you’ve already reached a state of mind where you’re seeking clarity more than anything else. You’re being smart, trying to analyze what’s best to do right now, even though your options may seem limited.

There’s also a subtle ache in the heart center—some anxiety around a particular issue, perhaps?

Well, your future self is here to tell you that help is on the way. This might be related to finances. Maybe you're looking for a job? lol. I hope you get it—and you definitely will. So try not to worry too much. Instead, stay grounded in your desires and focus on doing what’s best for you.

What’s coming through strongly here is a message that now is a time to “wait and see.” This moment is actually perfect for practicing trust—learning not to worry about everything all the time.

Pile 3

Wheel of Fortune, Nine of Swords, Ten of Wands, Seven of Pentacles

You need to rest—seriously. This message is quite similar to Pile 2 (so if you felt drawn to that one as well, feel free to check it out). There’s a sense of dissatisfaction you’re struggling to handle—maybe even a kind of emptiness. Nothing seems to be happening right now, and in that stillness, you’ve been showering yourself with judgment and self-criticism, when you could simply... wait and see what unfolds from what you’ve already planted.

If there’s still something left for you to do, then do it—but don’t let that turn into a lack of faith in the efforts you’ve already made.

Your future self wants you to know that things will change for you—soon. Remember: everything changes. Whatever you're working on, there's success here—but you’ve got to shut down that damn voice in your mind that wants to tear you down. Resting is important right now to help bring your mind back to the right place. Even your inner world is a space that deserves love and peace.

[metamorphicmuse]

The Sound Priest - Grace

[positivelypositive]

🌻

here to remind you...

...to take a deep breath

...to relax your jaw

...to take a sip of water

...to close your eyes for a few seconds

...to roll out your shoulders

...to stretch your legs & arms

...to take another deep breath, and

...to give yourself a gentle smile

take more of these mini-breaks throughout the day. you deserve them ✨

[poetic-echoes]

[compassionmattersmost]

The Art of Pacing: Managing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Skillful Means

There is a rhythm to living with chronic illness, one that requires a kind of surrender. Those who walk the path with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome soon learn that pacing is not merely a strategy—it becomes an art form, a way of listening, of harmonizing with the body’s quiet whispers before they become cries. To pace oneself is to acknowledge the body’s finite energy, to…

[suzieb-fit]

If all I'm allowed to do is walk, then that's what I'm going to do!

Things are pretty rough right now. But I'm still smiling...

Today's three reasons for that -

1. A much nicer diagnosis on my eye than I was expecting. Sure, I'm pretty much blind in that eye until the hemorrhaging clears up. But I can live with it.

2. A good walk into town. Stopping at the butchers for cooked meat and pork rinds, then a takeout costa (in my own cup.....double loyalty points woo-hoo) for the walk back home.

3. P.J and movie time after lunch.

Self nurture, healing and recovery? Yep. I'll take it when it's needed.

[cityzenchick]

Guten Morgen @sandy007 😚 endlich ist es fast Wochenende und hoffentlich können wir beide eine entspannende Pause von der Arbeit machen wie unser Goldjunge 👍✨️☀️ Schönen Freitag, mein Freund 🤗🌻🪻🌷💞

[metamorphicmuse]

Can I rest?

[positivelypositive]

🌻

here to remind you...

...that if things seem too stagnant right now, then maybe it's time to take a little break.

a change in routine, a little relaxation, or even a short trip can break the monotonous circle that we sometimes get stuck in.

allow yourself to switch gears. it's okay to go slow sometimes. let yourself relax ✨

[audaciousevolution]

Quote of the Day - Rest is not Weakness

We live in a world that glorifies hustle, but the truth is: you don’t have to earn your rest. You are allowed to pause. To breathe. To just be.

Rest is not a sign of weakness.

It’s how you recalibrate.

It’s how you return stronger.

Today, give yourself permission to step back, slow down and honour your need for restoration.

[littlewormtrading]

Growth is cute and all, but let’s be real—it’s okay to take a day to just not. Rest up and come back even stronger.

[latenightsushi]

Take the time you need for rest and recovery 🌙

X

[suzieb-fit]

Today calls for a day off.

Just my morning walk, household chores and lots of rest and recovery.

That's all from me today!

[the-wip-project]

SloMo WriNo: Rest, Reassess, Refine

November is over! We are one month into the challenge! And how are you feeling?

I haven’t done Nano for many years now, but I still feel a sense of relief when the month of November is over. There’s an ambient sense of anxiety in the online writer community that seems to infect me despite my best efforts.

But come the 1st of December? Freedom!

I intended to write a post discussing that, but instead I stopped dead. I felt unable to write a single word.

“Is this what people talk about when they say they can’t write?” I asked a friend. Who laughed at me. Not because she’s mean, but because I’m always the one with a hundred methods for getting around writer's block. I am the master of ‘just write the next sentence and the rest will come’ positivity.

I can always figure out a way to write if I really want to write.

But this time I couldn’t.

All of my executives had decided to stop functioning. I wanted to lie on the couch and enter a vegetative state. The human equivalent of an error code.

I had to stop for a moment. More than a moment.

A week, it turns out. A week of not writing at all.

I actually fought it for a few days, managing to edit and note down ideas. In retrospect, that was a bad choice, it just prolonged things. (It’s always easy to see these things in retrospect.)

You know those posts you see circulating that say stuff like ‘writing isn’t just writing, it’s taking a walk and looking at sunsets and etc, etc, etc.’ I firmly disagree. Writing isn’t an ethereal experience, it’s putting words on a page.

But making words doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It doesn’t come out of nowhere. It can be draining. Emotionally and physically. So while I don't consider breaks actually writing, I know they're necessary.

A person in the wip discord summed it up well by saying this: I've been pushing forwards so much I didn't let myself look back .

The combination of some things going on in my non-writing life, and the extra pressure I’ve been putting on myself to host this challenge, meant I hit a point where rest was required.

If, like me, you’ve found that after hitting a certain date or word count, you’ve slowed down or stopped writing, don’t punish or castigate yourself. (I say, like a hypocrite who spent at least two days in recrimination land.) Breaks are good and healthy. Don’t be ashamed of needing them.

But take a moment to think about why. What’s working and what isn’t. No matter what, it’s a good time to think about what you’ve accomplished, and where you’re going next.

For me I needed to assess how much time and energy writing these SloMo posts require of me, and how much I need to adjust the rest of my writing goals to accommodate that. I’ve realized that writing nonfiction takes a lot more energy from me than writing fiction.

You too may discover that certain projects require more effort and energy than others.

Or you might find that you’re tired because you’ve written more in November than you have in a while, or that the mental and emotional effort of implementing a new habit has been tiring.

It’s also time to reassess the mechanics of what you’ve been doing.

How is your current writing schedule working? Does having a minimum and maximum goal help or hinder? Is the time of day you’ve been aiming for working out? How is it affecting the rest of your life? (it’s no good to be getting words on the page at the expense of your work, relationships, and/or mental health.) Be ready to discard any and all advice from me or anyone else that isn’t working for you.

More than anything, don’t let the fact that you needed to rest and/or reassess stop you from pursuing your writing. Make the needed adjustments in your goals and schedule. And then get back to writing. (Like I’m going to. Right now actually.)