Self Care and Illness: Sometimes You Have to Rest.

Blessings, Witches! I’ve been off the grid (although still trying to keep up with you all on Instagram) for a few days as I’ve had a pretty nasty cold/flu bug. Apparently it’s a particularly gruesome one that doesn’t like to f*ck off, and I’ve been up and down for over 2 weeks. I managed to rally for Samhain, and then absolutely collapsed for a few days.

I know I harp on about Mercury Retrograde a lot, but I think it’s important to acknowledge all the factors when it comes to our physical and mental health. After Samhain, when we went into M.R., I felt completely drained of energy. It was like my legs were filled with lead and I was just exhausted. Even mentally, I could barely sit and write a blog (which is why I’ve been off grid). I know a lot of you have felt the same way since Thursday evening, and it left me thinking about taking care of ourselves and how hard we are on ourselves sometimes.

Sunlight pours in through a window onto an iron bed with white covers.

I’ve talked before about doing my PhD and working and running all sorts of sh*t on top of a normal workload, and I’m sure you can relate. That’s why we sometimes have to say no to things, even if we’d like to do them. But there does come a point where we just have to stop and try to call our energies back in and allow our bodies and minds to recuperate.

So for the past few days, I’ve been in bed. I mean, I managed to go to the supermarket and the chemist, but apart from that, I had to accept the fact that my head was banging too much to sit at the computer, even for an hour. I had to accept the fact that my body needed extra rest and sleep, and I had to try to quell the overwhelming anxiety that comes when a Virgo/Workaholic/Overachiever physically cannot work. I’m not going to lie – it’s tough. I’m not easily able to switch off and watch TV or read a book without feeling the bubbling panic. I also have some pretty serious fibroids to contend with, which makes life even more difficult, but more on that another day.

A spoon holds letters spelling ‘love’ over a pink bowl.

On top of all of this physical sh*t, I’ve been finding it hard to stay positive, which, if you’ve been following along here, is not really my style at all. But sometimes we get into a funk, and that’s okay. You don’t have to be perfect and peppy all the time. Nobody is is, and if they appear that they are, it’s probably bullsh*t.

So last night, finally, I treated myself to 3 back to back meditations of kindness, rest and relaxation. And, you know what? I actually slept, without nightmares, for the first time in weeks.

A glass bottle sits on a muslin cloth surrounded by herbs.

I’m still tired, I’m still not 100% better, but I feel so much clearer today. And I finally have a little bit of energy back to put into the things I care about.

So the blog is back as of right now, and the newsletter will be out again on Thursday, as planned.

In the meantime, rug up, drink hot toddies and be kind to yourselves.

Blessings,

xxK

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