An Unannounced Hiatus

An unannounced 1-week hiatus from sharing things publicly turned into a 1-month hiatus, and I don't feel the need to apologize for it.

I share that (seemingly ridiculous statement) because I see *so* many people apologizing publicly for taking time away for themselves, and it's gotta stop.

You don't need to justify your decision to rest, to refill, to restore, to heal - to anyone.

You also don't need to share the trials and tribulations of your life with the world if it doesn't feel right to you personally. And, side note: deciding to share things that you'd feel better keeping close to your heart doesn't make you more "authentic" or "real".

Authenticity is one of the buzziest buzz words these days, and I think we've taken it to an extreme where it's putting an unrealistic amount of pressure on us to share our pain when we're in the midst of it.

Pain needs to be processed, it needs space to breathe. It also carries a shitload of wisdom if we allow ourselves to be really present with it (and since we're hard-wired to avoid pain at all costs, presence takes patience and practice).

How can we be truly present with our internal process if we're feeling like we need to tether ourselves to a screen/the outside world at all times?

How can we expect ourselves to tie our deeply-felt, messy thoughts and feelings up into a pretty bow before they've had a chance to be fully experienced and reflected upon?

If the wisdom we glean from living our lives is what we want to share, then we sure as hell better give ourselves the space to open to and receive that wisdom - otherwise, we're stuck in a perpetual state of avoidance, numbing, and fear.

Over the past few months, I've experienced different types and flavors of pain - physical, mental, and emotional - and the space that I finally gave myself allowed me to zoom out and see how all of them are/were interlinked, and what needs to change moving forward.

The ability to breathe is synonymous with life - and if we don't give ourselves enough breathing room, how are we expected to live?

Not that you need one, but if you're looking for a permission slip to take some space for yourself, let this be it. Your well-being is the worthiest of all causes.