Creative Wellness Letters - What kind of rest do you need now? 🤔

Hi Reader, 

Congratulations on making it to the last month of 2024, this fall has been…a LOT. If you're exhausted, you're in good company.

(Extra shout out to my musicians, anyone fulfilling orders for holiday gifts, and anyone else with a big holiday season workload!)

How are you doing right now, really?

My inbox is always open to replies for space-holding and support.

This letter about rest has become a December tradition, since it’s always a great reminder.

The darker days of this time of year (for us Northern Hemisphere folks) are causing most of us to crave more slowness and quiet, which is a real mismatch for all of the energy we expend on extra activities during the holidays.

Going beyond the clichés of self care is essential, because figuring out how to meet your own needs is so personal, and the possibilities are so vast.

If you’re stuck with just the commonly Instagrammed forms of self care (nothing wrong with bath bombs if you love them, of course), then let’s dig deeper.

I talk a lot about rest in conjunction with self care, because they’re very intertwined. 🤝

The winter season makes many of us have lower energy levels, which warrants more rest, and in this challenging year, even more! 

I’d be willing to bet that you need even more rest than you think you do.

Often when hearing the word “rest”, you might think of physical rest like sleeping or lying down, but I define it as anything that replenishes your energy. This will change from day to day - the long hike that felt good last weekend might just be too tiring today, for example.

Here are some of the different types of rest, along with questions to ponder and clarify each one:

• Physical

Do I need to rest my body? How can I prioritize getting more sleep?

• Emotional

Am I feeling overwhelmed by feelings? What kind of support do I need to let them out or work through them?

• Spiritual

Am I craving quiet, contemplative time? How can I reconnect to my sense of purpose?

• Mental

Am I having trouble focusing? Could I use a break from thinking?

• Social

Am I craving a break from people, or craving the energy I get from interacting with (certain) people?

• Sensory

Am I feeling overstimulated by sight, sound, or other senses?

• Creative

Do I feel squeezed dry and devoid of ideas? Do I need a change of scenery to gain fresh inspiration?

• Financial

Have I been spending more money than I’ve budgeted? Where could I pause my spending to relieve some stress?

This week, I invite you to ask yourself what kind of rest you need.

If it’s many of these types, and that feels overwhelming, pick whichever one seems the most important and urgent.

Then, schedule it, or do whatever you need to do to make it happen, even if in a small way!

Whether you’re celebrating Solstice, Hanukkah, Festivus, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, or something else, I’m wishing you a peaceful and satisfying holiday!

I’ll be taking a break from writing these letters until the new year, for some much-needed rest (I have to walk the talk).

As we close out 2024, and you reflect on what you’ve done this year, please remember that just making it through these past few years is a huge accomplishment, and whatever you have gotten done is enough.

See also:

(It's probably a January problem.)

We’re still here, we're still making stuff (even if we're taking breaks to rest!), and that is always something to celebrate!

I’m so grateful to have you here as part of my community, and I’m wishing you the absolute best - happy new year and I’ll see you in 2025!

What type of rest do you need right now?

Feel free to hit reply and let me know. (Or, if fewer words are part of that rest, I respect that, of course!)

🕸️ Staying on the good side of the internet 🕸️

• Susannah Conway's Unravel Your Year has been my favorite (free!) tool for end-of-year reflection for a long time - here's this year's version, if you want to use it, too!

• My Favorite Holiday Self Care Resources - My blog post roundup to help you take good care of yourself in December!

• As the Dark Crescendos - In her newsletter Human Stuff, therapist and beautiful writer Lisa Olivera shares 20 things she's turning toward during this darker season of the year.