IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT AT ONCE

There might be times where, you know, in your mind, you want to pace yourself, but perhaps, you don’t always know how. Here are a few simple things to remember:

1 - Sometimes, pacing yourself in the unknown looks like saying “no.” You only have so much time and energy, and there are times in life when you may need more time to process things or simply rest. Saying “no” more often can be difficult because it’s hard to feel like you are letting others down. And at the same time, this is an area where you can practice, one “no,” at a time. And with every “no,” you are learning to create space for yourself to not have to figure out everything, for everyone.

2 - Sometimes, pacing yourself in the unknown looks like focusing on the small things: The small ways you learn to focus on the things you can do right now is a way you are learning how to be present here, and it matters more than you know. Even when you are in a space of reconciling all the things that didn't turn out like you thought they would, all the storylines you were not expecting, it doesn't make you weak to not have all the answers.

3 - Sometimes, pacing yourself in the unknown looks like the pressure off yourself: Closing out of that text message thread that doesn’t technically need a reply. Practicing not feeling bad for needing extra time to do something. Letting someone else figure something out for themselves, even though you’re normally the one they go to for help. Of course, you may not be able to do this everywhere in life, all at once, but even just finding one way of doing this could be a form of creating space for mental rest that matters.
The time you are able to spend taking the pressure off, however you can––even if it's just taking the pressure off of needing to "rest" a certain way, that matters. 

So, as you move through the unknowns, remember to pace yourself in whatever way you can. Even when it’s hard to fully slow down, perhaps you can choose one area to find slower rhythms that allow for room to rest, recover, and heal. Remember to find room to breathe. And remember that it's okay if you don't have it all figured out at once. You're learning, you're growing, and you're doing just fine.

More in this week's series called "Noticing Subtle Shifts", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols