This week didn't exactly end up how I expected it would. Because what I expected was a return to an event that normally fills me with excitement and joy, but that ended up sending me to a land of stress and exhaustion. And suffering from the effects of one of the worst migraines I've had in many, many months.
It all crystallized for me this moment in time that we're all currently living through. We're all so excited to return to something familiar, but I don't think I realized how much everything has been changed by the past year. Really, how much we've been changed by the past year. I know now I am absolutely not the same person I was the last time I did this install 2 years ago.
Things that I would have brushed off or laughed through became big points of contention. Physically demanding workloads were way more mentally draining than I ever would have expected and being around so many different humans each struggling with their own re-entry was hard. All of it combined left me feeling more physically depleted than I had ever expected or planned.
So, I ask you to do one simple thing as you return to your familiar: go slow.
I learned this week that running back to life as it was will very likely leave you feeling empty and depleted. So don't rush. Keep it simple. Listen to your body and your mind, and remember to communicate your needs. Make a plan to recover before you head out. And use all that you've learned about yourself over the last year to make sure you can handle whatever ‘normal’ has become. Because you're worthy of care and understanding.
