Write to Stop

Hello Dear One, 

How are you? I’m in a lot of pain. My low back, which started to seize up yesterday, feels like it’s gone on strike. There’s a strip of muscle across the base of my spine which keeps singing, my hips feel like a pulled elastic band. I’ve stretched, taken painkillers and consciously tried to relax it. Still, it hurts. 

I take tension in my body seriously, particularly when it’s not a definable injury. This, I believe, is a sign I need to stop.

You may know I’m a champion of self-compassion, but injuries can be where I fall down. I tend to push myself too hard, try to do what I could do a week before, instead of accepting what is. How wonderfully human. 

Before my back started talking life felt activated. We’d marked a year since lockdown, I’d just been vaccinated and made a major decision about my future (more on this soon). At the same time, my job was ceaseless.

So, on Sunday, I ‘took a day’ and encouraged myself to rest. Every time a thought crept in about work I said ‘not right now’. Still, I found myself on a long walk with my dog and tidying out my flat. It’s hard to stop completely.

I hope it helps. It’s vital to recuperate, to create pockets of time for ourselves: mentally and physically. We need different strategies, to be well.

I took three breaks writing this letter and each time I came back more focused, more able to say what I wanted to say. Sometimes we need to stop, to strip back everything but the essential. And sometimes, as uncomfortable and inconvenient as they may be, we have to take time to tend to our emotions. If not they’ll show up in our bodies and behaviours, causing unnecessary harm. It takes courage to do this, to keep showing up for yourself, to say - despite what I’m told by society: this works. But you have courage. Keep telling yourself.

And if you need a little help I’m offering the next round of my reflective writing course, starting 20th April. In it, I teach foundational tools of self-compassion, strategies for strength and self-confidence. If you feel called I’d love for you to join me.

I’ve decided to offer another round before summer because it’s likely to be a tricky time. So, I wanted to create a safe, grounding and inclusive space for emotional wellbeing. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch.

In the meantime keep connecting to yourself, cultivate kindness and remember to tell the little voice in your head that stopping is helpful, that the world won’t collapse, that you’ve got this. Thanks for being here and being you.

All love,

Jo

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A P.S. - I’m considering the future of these letters so, if you enjoy them, I’d love for you to let me know, either in the comments below, on Instagram, or by hitting reply to this email.