I’VE been off work for the past eight weeks due to doctor’s orders. Thankfully, my doctor has told me that I can return to things next week. One of the big life-lessons that I learnt from my time off is that there are times our bodies simply say no. No to…

• Too much stress
• Too heavy (and unrealistic) workloads
• Too many negative/horrible messages from people.
• Too much chaos
• Too many demands for our attention and time. 
• Too much social media. 

And so on.

I confess I reached my ‘too much and no more’ moment. I ended up in hospital facing the fact that not only had Covid stolen the little reserves of energy I had left (as I tried with everything within me to keep my 260mph lifestyle from derailing), but also, that sometimes…

• You have to go slow.
• You have to listen to your body that is beginning to shut down.
• You need to be told by test results and medics that all is not good, and you can’t keep going on like this. 
• You need to surrender to the fact that you need to recover. 

And so, my body eventually said no.

For me, this past eight weeks have been about ‘going slow and lying low’ – a time to get well again. 

The truth is that we cannot run on empty forever. I’m thankful for the doctors who looked after me, and for my family and friends who pulled in tight to me. I’m thankful to God, who in a sense stopped me in my tracks, reminding me that I cannot pour from an empty cup. 

And so, as I step into 2023, I am committed to making some lifestyle changes that will prevent me from ending up in this place again and I am determined to continue to have times of ‘going slow and lying low’, but not as a result of illness, but rather stepping out of my busyness for times of reflection, refreshment and restoration. 

During my time off, I discovered a song called ‘Peace’ by Anna Golden that I confess I played on repeat. I would encourage you to get some time alone, grab a cuppa and have a listen. 

Her words “I can finally breathe again” touched the deepest part of my soul. 
Friends, let’s remember there is no award for the ‘Most Over-Worked/Stressed Person of the Year’. 

Let’s learn to breathe again!