Creative Wellness Letters - Happy anniversary! 🦠🤪🎉

Hi Reader, 

I had a really hard time getting out of bed this morning. Was it because I had a couple subpar nights of sleep, then lost an hour in the time change, and spent Sunday in a lot of rehearsals and walking up and down San Francisco hills? Probably. 

I also think it’s because my body remembers that today is the 3rd anniversary of the last normally scheduled day of work before the COVID lockdown, and so I’m feeling a bit tender. 

Are you feeling it too? Can you believe it’s been 3 years? (The traditional 3rd anniversary gift is leather, so…do with that what you will? 😂)

❓How are you doing, really? Take a moment to let yourself pause, and really think about it.

💆 Is there any extra care that you need today?

🐢 Do you need to take a slower pace? (Perhaps that slower pace is only when you can, between the faster-paced things, but anything is good!)

🎨 Do you need to make space for some cathartic creation time?

Anniversaries can be hard, because they bring up the trauma of the original event. Often our bodies remember as much or more than our minds, so if you’re having extra physical and/or mental tension that you can’t fully explain, that’s normal.

You might feel yourself drawing further inward, with less motivation to make art, or you might be extra drawn to it, and the catharsis it provides - both (and everything in between) are valid.

You might want to reflect on how far you’ve come over the last 3 years, and marvel at your own resilience!

This time might require extra self compassion, grace, and self care, and might affect how much you’re able to accomplish, so please practice compassionate productivity and continue to be extra kind to yourself!

So, here’s an idea: 

If you don’t actually plan on doing something today (like you subconsciously plan on avoiding it), don’t put it on your to do list for today.

Keep it somewhere close, like on your list for the week or month, so you don’t forget it, but it’s a great time to loosen your grip on high expectations and achievement.

This might not be easy, it might be uncomfortable, it might require patience, but it does mean that you’re truly supporting yourself and being present with what actually is.

Please continue to be extra compassionate with yourself and how much you’re able to do - you deserve to know that you’re on your own team, instead of being your own mean boss! (I fired mine, she was so mean!)
💗💗💗

Is there anything you're leaving off your to do list today, in service of honoring your energy level and your human-ness? Hit reply and tell me about it!

Stay well, my friends - I'm always rooting for you. My inbox is always open, so please feel free to reach out if I can help in any way. 

I always love hearing from you!

Have a lovely week! ⁠

Rebecca

• This episode of Terrible, Thanks for Asking on the darker side of being labelled "gifted" in elementary school really hit home for me. 
• How to Feel Alive Again (NYT gift link) - Some great tips from Katherine May, whose new book Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age is on my to-read list!
• I love all Super Mario theme song covers, and this is no exception!

BAWP is currently on winter break (new spring episodes coming soon!), but I popped in with a new year update: 

• Ep. 71: My 2023 Word of the Year + Reflecting on 2022

I still love the practice of choosing a theme word for the year, to help guide new year intentions and goals. It can be a wonderful filter for what feels intuitively right to do and create, whether in place of or along with more structured planning and goal setting.

In this episode I share about my intentions for my 2022 word PLAY, how it turned out in practice, why I’m excited about my new word for 2023, and some tips for choosing your own word of the year.

Join us in Compassionate Creativity Coworking Club 

(Your first session is free to try!)

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Coaching Offerings:

• Rise Above the Overwhelm: laser-focused 1-time sessions

• Creative Season (3 months)