I am mentally tired. I imagine you are, too. It has been an epically long ride this last year plus.

When you consider what everyone is navigating within the context of a global event and then pile on your personal life stuff, it can be heavy. I have been stringing together too many hours of commitments that require high focus. Much of my work is one-to-one, or one-to-many but frequently I am the “one” in these equations. I am the leader, the encourager, the teacher… you get the idea. I don’t dislike that role and yet it extracts a toll on the introvert in me. I like people and connecting and I also need a distinct disconnection in order to recharge. I require physical and mental space. I crave quiet and solitude as a way to ground me back into my body in order to tether myself from living wholly in my thoughts (read:overthinking). 

This week has been skewed to the side of leading qualities without nearly enough of the balancing elixir of not “being on,” of having space to disengage my brain and me. 

What do we do when we are physically tired, mentally tired, or soul tired? I mean, really? What’s a person to do? Well, the most basic of the answers is to listen. It didn’t matter if I thought I “should” be mentally tired, I was. I checked in with myself and asked what would allow me to feel more rested and the answer I got was, “stop pushing.”

Much to my dismay, I knew it was true. I needed to take a break. Yesterday, I finished what was required for work and then I went out for a walk without a phone, camera or anything. I was seeking quiet. I started to feel better as soon as I began to walk and knew I wasn’t going to be listening to a podcast, trying to better myself, or anything else. I was simply going to be. What my body is telling me is I need some balancing. I need some fun thrown in, some unstructured time.

Where are you today? Are you tired? What do you need? Maybe it’s some fun, or a nap. Check in with yourself. This pandemic has been exceedingly long and it has drained us all in different ways. Rest your brand of tired and see what happens.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G