This summer has not gone to plan at all. There’s been health issues. A ton of burnout. Lack of creativity. Feeling just off and not like myself.
Yes, sometimes this is just life. We go through phases like this. Lose ourselves and find ourselves, recreate ourselves all over again. Yet, when you’re coming out of a period that feels “not you”. Or illness. Or switching habits, schedules, and the like. It can feel like recovery. Which I think – at least to me- is hard to admit. Recovery is something I associate with a serious illness. Or addiction (even shopping!). Or something major. From burn out to minor illness to trying to switch my habits and schedules all summer I have been beating myself up a bit as I felt like this was all things that should “come easily” or I should “get over” and “not take time with”.
Yet. Recovery. Any kind of recovery takes time. A lot of my adult life has been spent in gyms and with that comes injuries (both mine and observing others). And it’s not a rarity that recovery is difficult for many of us. Mainly as it involves admitting that you need a step back- or a change. Rest. A reevaluation. All the time that I have spent being hard on myself- and wondering why I was still burnt out or not feeling great (or event shy the house hadn’t been deeply cleaned) was a bit counter productive. In my heart I know that- that rest and focus on recovery would ironically help me recover and change my habits faster. A physical injury needs rest and recovery, and so does any burn out, etc.
But. Why is recovery so difficult? Why is rest, even rest you know you need, hard to allow yourself? Quell surprise, I have none of the answers. Even admitting to myself that I need to recover, or at least a few days off, has been incredibly hard (why I feel like I always need to be on is beyond me). Letting myself actually recover? Working on it.
For me recovery needs a lot of rest- even if that just means doing what I love (like pilates classes and time with friends). It’s alone time and piddling around the house. Bad TV and amazing movies. Schedules and changing of habits. The most difficult part? Giving myself the time to do all of this. Again, I am working on it.
I would love to know- how do you recover? From burnout or injury or simply just not feeling like you? What are your best tips to get to where you want to be and allowing yourself time?
I would love to hear all about it!
Wishing us all a week of recovery and amazing shoes! XO RA
