Two Weeks of Rest: Learning to Be Still

The last two weeks have been a lesson I didn’t expect to learn this year, how to stop.

I went into surgery knowing recovery would take time, but I underestimated just how much my body—and especially my head—would insist on complete stillness.

Concentration has been slippery, like trying to hold water in my hands. Even reading has felt like too much on some days, let alone writing anything meaningful.

So I’ve been doing something that doesn’t come naturally to me at all. Resting.

Proper resting. The kind where you put the laptop aside, stop trying to “push through,” and accept that healing has its own timetable. It’s frustrating at times, of course. Writers are used to juggling ideas, shaping scenes, keeping momentum. But these past two weeks have reminded me that creativity isn’t a machine you can leave running in the background. It needs energy, clarity, and a mind that isn’t throbbing.

And that’s okay.

There’s a strange kind of peace in stepping back. In letting the world shrink to small, manageable things: cups of hot chocolate (I don't do coffee or tea if you didn't know that!), short walks, quiet afternoons, early nights and long lay ins. The stories are still there, waiting patiently. They always do. But right now, my job is simply to heal.

If you’ve messaged, checked in, or sent good wishes, thank you. Truly.

I’m back to writing this week, but for now, I’m honouring the pause. My head—and the rest of me—needs it.

Have a restful week,

Love Helen x