Hi friends, family, and extended internet family!
Greetings from Iceland! My apologies for keeping you waiting, it’s taken a bit of time to crank out this issue since I’m in Iceland. I miss you all! Even all the way out there, there are many reminders of home, like this one…
By the way, if you haven’t heard, Britney Spears is free! Usually, I wouldn’t care much about this kind of thing, but her unapologetic and expressed daily practices have been a reminder (and dare I say inspiration) that even the worst of breakdowns can be healed and forgiven with time.
Sadly, her breakdown is not an uncommon story within our culture. They say at first you get a whisper, then the pebble, then the brick, then the brick wall. Meaning that there are warning signs way before we hit our breaking point, when we are often physically and mentally unable to move forward. The good news is, the world seems to be learning to become more attuned to the signs before we’re all battered, broken, and burnt out.
Just recently, I was listening to Billie Eillish's new album Happier Than Ever as a sequel to her story of the physical and emotional toll that her career had on her - ultimately forcing her to take a break from performing in order to do therapy and healing. Fortunately, she had a loving family to support her throughout her struggle so that she could afford to stop before hitting her breaking point. As a result, we now have this beautiful expanded emotional and musical sound in her new album.
This change in tune is not limited to our pop stars, there have been conversations about mental health during COVID, how to avoid physician burnout, and most recently on the 2020 Olympic stage, the greatest gymnast of all time brought awareness to the toxic culture within gymnastics. Finally, we’re having second thoughts about sacrifice in the name of the game, especially if it means your life is permanently changed. We’re understanding that even an unbreakable spirit will have to reconcile with a breakable body one day.
I’ve had my own experience with the brick wall. Looking back, there were SO MANY bricks. I ignored them because I’m stubborn as hell and prided myself on having a high pain tolerance. But when the body is worn and tired, it starts wearing on your mental grit. My breaking point was my first thought of self-harm, that was scary because it was so casual - “Oh wouldn’t it be nice if I just fell and broke my leg so I didn’t have to go back to work?” That’s when I stopped to check myself and finally realized that my pain was a message, and my high pain tolerance was my conditioned response to avoid feeling pain.
We can argue that to get to the top, one needs to keep pushing past the edge over and over and over again. But to stay at the top, one needs to know when to stop and rest. I needed to learn to rest. Britney, Billie, and all of the world affected by COVID-19 as well. My hope is that COVID-19 was our brick wall, and not just merely another brick in the engine of civilization. My vision for our future has space for rest and rejuvenation with daily naps, four day workweeks, summer break, winter break, year-long paternity/maternity leave, and taking a mental health day is the norm.
Until that is our reality, my hope for you is giving yourself permission to shut out the world and just take a nap.
Thanks for reading! Have a thought on this issue, question, something you care to share? Replying directly to this email is the best way to get a hold of me.
Until next time, #britneysback,
Maymie