Spring is just around the corner, and like most springs I am excited and anxious. Like clockwork, every March, this anticipation creates a restlessness in my body. And anxious thoughts start to loop, urging me to pay attention and pick up the pace.
As much as I want to live an easeful life, to prioritize rest and move slowly, when my body becomes filled with this anxious energy, rest feels impossible. I start to feel guilty that I am not resting enough. Or, I try to rest, and I end up doomscrolling or bored or panicking and I wonder what is wrong with me that I can’t simply sit down and rest.
Last week I shared that I find it helpful to name the seasons in my life. I do this so I can be reminded that whatever I am feeling will one day pass. Just as seasons are always changing, my life is changing little by little every day. Acknowledging that March is typically a hard month for me has created space to set up supportive systems for myself.
I am naming this March a sprint season. This is a term I first heard from therapist and coach Danielle Swimm. When that energy fills my body, when I just want to focus on work and check things off a list, I tell myself that it is ok to sprint sometimes. I can only do this level of work for so long. Soon, things will settle.
I know I can’t sprint all the time. I can only do this level of work for so long. This restless energy will lapse eventually. Soon, things will settle and I will need to rest. I can't work at this pace forever - I’ve tried that before and it lead burnout and panic and pain. I know that building a business and working with clients is a practice that needs to be consistently and sustainably nurtured and cared for.
I know that trusting the process and staying mindful of the small everyday joys is fulfilling in itself.
And I also know that incredible joy of running as fast as you can, arms open wide, towards something you love. I know the laughter that bubbles to the surface as you pedal wildly so you can go down a hill super fast on your bike. I know swimming into a wave just to feel the thrill of being pushed by the force of the water.
So for now, in sprint season, I lean in. I allow myself to move at my fastest pace. To write all of my ideas down and create action plans. To prioritize work over rest, because that is where my intuition is leading anyway.
This March is my sprint toward something good. I’m looking forward to continuously putting in work to grow my business and foster my ideas and support my clients in the best way possible. My hands have been busy typing up workshop descriptions and arranging my calendar. Soon they will be busy creating art within these workshops. I suppose that is what I am sprinting towards: the satisfaction of making magic alongside a creative community.
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