When Your Body Says No (and your mind says “just one more thing”)
I would not call myself someone who thrives on constant motion. I actually love stillness and quiet, but I do like feeling capable. I like knowing I can do the basics of life without thinking twice. When surgery forces me to scale back even further than I am used to, it is not just inconvenient. It is deeply frustrating.
The surgery itself went smoothly, and I am grateful for that. But the aftermath has its own challenges. Even as I try to rest, part of me is planning small things like checking out the new pilates studio nearby, straightening the linen closet, sorting through desk drawers, or getting the recycling out of sight. The reality is that my body is not on board yet. It keeps reminding me that recovery is not something you can rush, no matter how many mental negotiations you make.
Here’s the thing… I know better. I know the science behind recovery, and I know why the body needs stillness to repair itself. I say these things to clients all the time: Honor your limits. Rest is not laziness, it is strategy. But living that truth? It’s harder than any textbook makes it sound.
This is where the parallel to my work always strikes me. So many of us want to push past discomfort, whether it is emotional pain, relationship tension, or life transitions, because slowing down feels like falling behind. We want relief yesterday. We want to fix what is broken without pausing long enough to let it mend.
But healing, whether physical or emotional, asks for patience. It demands that we do the unglamorous work of resting, even when our ambition or anxiety screams otherwise. It’s a lesson I’m relearning right now, in real time, propped up with pillows, negotiating with myself about how much I can do before my body reminds me who is boss.
If you are in that space too, frustrated and restless and wishing you could power through, I get it. It’s hard to feel limited when your mind is brimming with plans. Maybe those limits are the most honest boundaries we will ever meet. Respecting them is not weakness. It is wisdom.
Now, excuse me while I take my own advice and close the laptop (after hitting "publish," of course).
