Active Recovery

When you still need rest.

The sun is slowly rising on an early-ish, windy January morning. Dark clouds move in sync with the music playing in the background as I write. An atmospheric piece titled In Light by Julianna Barwick and Jónsi.

I hope you find yourselves well and recharged after the holiday season. If not, may you treat yourself with grace and compassion until you do.

The beginning of the month was a slow start for me. I had plans to make headway with many projects, but was still feeling exhausted from an emotionally daunting year and so did little.

As January began, so did everyone else, it seems. My inbox was flooded with newsletters and emails. I felt a slight pressure to “get back to it” ASAP. But something didn’t feel right; my internal alarm howled that I’d be running on empty if I pushed.

In my experience, the best thing to do is wait till my energy levels are fully replenished, no matter how long it takes. Even if it’s longer than I’d like, which is often the case 🙄. But the more I run on half empty, the longer it takes to recharge each consequent time, depleting the internal battery further. This is a lesson I’ve learned the hard way.

And yet actively pausing, unwinding or resting are not acts of idleness. Doing nothing is indeed doing something. Professional athletes and musicians do it all the time. “Deliberate rest”, as Alex Soojung-Kim Pang calls it in his book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, allows us to be more productive.

Funnily enough, when I recharge regularly, I recover faster. This seems obvious in hindsight. Which takes longer to refill? A tank that is 3/4 full or one that is almost empty? I need to note this somewhere. Fear usually seeps in instead, planting little seeds of doubt in my mind, and questioning my choices to suspend certain “productive” activities, either for a while or indefinitely. Resisting the need to rest only makes me feel more drained, prolonging the vicious cycle.

Frankly, I don’t believe productivity is a good reason to rest. To be healthy and feel well are more than sufficient reasons, even if Western culture dismisses them. Still, it’s difficult to ignore the abundance of pervasive signals in our work-obsessed society that says otherwise.

Last week, as I sat in front of a blank screen trying to muster up some words together, it dawned on me: I hadn’t been “doing nothing” these past weeks. I was actually in active recovery mode.

Active recovery (or active rest) is the idea that low-intensity activities after a strenuous workout will prevent injury and help your body recover faster.

Some of its benefits include eliminating toxins, keeping muscles flexible, reducing soreness, and helping maintain an exercise routine.

While certain researchers question the relationship between improved performance and active recovery, they still admit that psychological benefits exist.

The more time I spend writing, the more I realize how it’s all a mind game. I’m not interested in improving my performance for reasons I won’t get into. I’m interested in doing the work. As Seth Godin writes in The Practice:

“ Reassurance is futile—and focusing on outcomes at the expense of process is a shortcut that will destroy your work.”

Here’s what active recovery looks like for a writer:

• Journaling: This helps release the toxic thoughts your Resistance feeds you and keeps your writing muscles flexible.
• Showing up: No word counts or fixed objectives. The only goal is to show up. This helps maintain a routine without the pressure to produce anything specific.
• Filling the well: Reading, listening to music, going to the museum, seeing a show, or even cooking; these activities revive our curiosity and spark new ideas.
• Caring for your body: An active body means an active mind. Sleep, eat and move. Treat it with kindness.
• Creating connections: Writing can be very lonely. Reconnecting with people we appreciate can produce all the benefits mentioned above.

I’ve begun noticing the positive effects of my active recovery and ultimately, my perspective reframing. This weekend, my family celebrated the Chinese New Year, a tradition we observe yearly. Turns out, I’m not late or behind. I realize now I was just following another calendar.

Things worth sharing

During my active recovery, I started reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. She lists her 5 biggest fears, which I think apply to most people interested in doing creative work:

1. People will laugh at me.

2. Someone has done it before.

3. People will find my work boring.

4. I will offend someone she loves.

5. The work won’t be as good as it seemed once it’s executed.

Pick up the book to find out how she talks back to these fears.

During my active recovery, I started reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. She lists her 5 biggest fears, which I think apply to most people interested in doing creative work:

1. People will laugh at me.

2. Someone has done it before.

3. People will find my work boring.

4. I will offend someone she loves.

5. The work won’t be as good as it seemed once it’s executed.

Pick up the book to find out how she talks back to these fears.

Source: Goodreads

I also binge read The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, when I realized I had three days to finish it, or risk waiting months before it would become available again at the library. It’s a ghost story set in a violent period of Sri Lanka’s history. Yet the novel is neither spooky nor horrifying but captivates the reader with its cast of characters and the magical realism it weaves within the chapters. Shehan Karunatilaka’s writing is funny, deft, and lively. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered his other novel.

Whether it be the start of a new year, month, or trimester, these periods always mean some sort of roadmap planning for me. Caroline Donahue, the host of the Secret Library Podcast, has an excellent tool she shares to help map out your writing year. I’ve learned a lot by listening to the writers she’s interviewed over the seasons. Definitely check it out.

Finally, I’ve had time to contemplate what I’d to do this year during my active recovery. There are a few other projects I’d like to ramp up, which means I may send out TIL only once or twice a month. It will depend on how things go. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted with more news to come.

Stay tuned!

In the meantime, happy writing, happy creating! May 2023 be your best year yet.

Thanks for reading Things I’ve Learned. Please comment, like, or share with someone who might appreciate it. Cheers!