When you’re sick, rest is best. 🤒
Shifting Deadlines, Chronic Illness & Creative Capacity
Today’s letter is about capacity, chronic illness, and what’s inspiring me.
Every seasonal shift I write a personal update for my paid subs and invite them to check in with their projects.
This month I’ve unlocked the first part of the letter for everyone.
I did this because I believe it’s powerful to prioritize our health and energetic capacity. I hope by modeling this I can empower others to do the same.
First, some context.
I don’t often talk about this, but I have several interconnected chronic illnesses and auto immune disorders.1 This means my body is really bad at fighting off sickness. It’s worse as a parent, because I can never properly rest.
Starting in university I noticed a pattern of pushing myself to the brink each semester and falling ill over the holidays. Every semester I’d push and crash. Over and over. Twice a year. I didn’t see it as a problem. It just was.
Looking back I see it differently.
I was repeatedly pushing beyond capacity and paying the price.
But parents don’t get to crash and reset twice a year.
So I’m finally learning to take care of myself.
I’m paying close attention to my capacity and making adjustments before I reach my breaking point.
Arbitrary deadlines do not matter more than my health.
And due dates I create myself are not set in stone.
Later this month I had planned to crowdfund my anthology project.
And then I came down with COVID.
Knowing myself, my body, and my compromised nervous system I knew it was too much. The moment the strip turned pink I realized something had to shift. There was no way I’d be able to record a crowdfunding video and launch a book this Spring.
I gave it a week and then made the call.
I’ve postponed the book launch until Autumn.
We can do that, you know.
Even though I knew it was the right call I was still concerned to send the email.
But, I needn’t have worried.
I’m working with mothers and they get it.
Here’s what they said:
It’s not easy to take the space you need.
But it does get easier with practice.
Right now month I’m practicing the lessons I’ve learned from Daniel Tiger.
When you’re sick, rest is best. The book can wait.