It is day 1 of my menstrual phase. If you’re new around here, you won’t know that that is key information for this post.
I have spent my day moving from my bed to the sofa, outside to my car, to the grocery store, and back to bed again.
My brain feels fuzzy, like the fig leaf outlined with blue that waved over my head as I napped earlier today. I am tired in the way where it feels hard to think. Words are spilling from my tapping fingers— I don’t know if they make sense. I have already asked ChatGPT to correct grammar on the sentence above, deciding I preferred my confused grammar instead.
As a medical herbalist, I know many (many) ways to live a good and healthy life. I can tell you, the best ways to take care o your teeth, how to increase water absorption on a cellular level, how to support a UTI, how to reduce painful periods… Having said all that, the most valuable thing I can tell you is what not to do.
Do not approach rest as a holiday or night time activity.
Do not ignore your body’s need for rest.
Do not pretend to rest by staying distracted.
Do not rest because it will help you get more done.
Do not leave rest as a last resort activity to stave off burnout.
I have just got home from a full day of work. I am exhausted. I am lying horizontal in bed, yet again. But the moral of the story is: do less. Listen to your body’s need for rest. So I am going to sign off for now…
But first,
If you’re also learning how to rest, listen, and live in rhythm with your cycle, I’ve created a private space called Living Cyclically. It’s where I share herbal guidance, weekly prompts, and live Q&As for women wanting to trust their bodies again.
You can read more and join here:
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