A Slow, Rainy Reset Weekend 🌧️🖋️ // Rest, and it’s Importance for Productivity

It has been a very gray, rainy weekend here in the Hollow. A misty haze has settled all around the cottage, and all the greens and browns have erupted in a vibrant burst of almost otherworldly shades of themselves. The browns are darker and richer, the greens more saturated and shimmering under the sheen of rain on the wide leaves of the foliage. Somewhere beneath the blanket of springtime grass, I imagine there will be a mushroom or two growing from the damp earth. Rita, the first addition to this year’s garden (her nickname is Fernii!), has really been enjoying the rainfall over the last several days, thriving in it in a way only a true fern can. All around, the cool and refreshing aroma of freshly fallen rain filled the gray air and created a veil of silence and peace over the forest surrounding the cottage.

Productivity wise, when I went into this weekend I had a lot of good intentions. I had a whole plan for sitting down at my computer and finishing up my thesis, of writing short stories for both the blog and for submissions, and so many other things that in hindsight might have been a touch unrealistic. But because of my ADHD, I didn’t see it as too much—I saw it as things that needed done, even as I sat in a paralyzed fugue state telling myself over and over that it wouldn’t take all that long to do if I would just do it.

But there was one thing I was forgetting, and one thing that I routinely forget: the weekends are for rest, and rest is just as important and productive as anything else.

So rather than drag myself over to the computer and fight through this general feeling of marrow-deep exhaustion (believe me, though, I tried. But Danny stopped me at every turn, reminding me of the importance of relaxation, and making sure I was fully stocked on snacks and coffee), I instead curled up in my almost-finished home library and made a point to relax.

Wednesday, Salem and I spent a good portion of the morning curled up with my Kindle, re-reading Storm Front by Jim Butcher, while listening to Nemo’s Dreamscapes for gentle background music.

Danny and I recently brought my favorite arm chair up to my office and placed it in it’s new home (it’s my favorite because I found it at a relics and remnants shoppe for just $20! ) and right away the cats were all over it, scoping it out and using it as a way to climb on the floating shelves beside it. That was all right, though I hope their hearts aren’t too broken when those shelves are filled with books like they’re intended to be!

It wasn’t long before Wednesday reminded us that first and foremost it was her chair.

Also, forgive the profuse amount of hair. Before she passed away, Daisy loved to sit in that chair and she shed so much it was impossible to keep up with. Any dog owners out there will know exactly what I’m talking about! We’re doing our best to take care of it, one roll of lint-roller tape at a time!

I then spent almost the entire rest of the day just laying on the couch playing Harvest Moon: Back to Nature on my PS5. The pure nostalgia factor of that game literally cannot be undersold for me—it was my first cozy game, back before the term “cozy game” was around and before people realized why they are fantastic for people like me who have intense anxiety. It was my first farming sim, and will for the rest of my life remain one of my favorites!

Despite not getting anything done that I intended, I enjoyed this weekend. I needed to relax, and when I need it most is when I forget it the hardest. Productivity isn’t always making something or turning something in or achieving something of note. Sometimes it’s as simple as sitting down with a good book or a good game and turning your brain off for a little while. That is the hardest thing for me to remember. Especially when faced with the knowledge that maybe I just don’t feel as good this weekend as I thought I would. I think all the rain and storms that have been battering the Hollow as of late have done something to the mana pressure in the atmosphere (or some such thing) and it’s part of why I feel so worn down.

Regardless, I ended up relaxing more than working and that was probably the best thing for me. I can’t remember exactly who said it because I just keep hearing it around, but I heard a quote that goes something like “if you don’t make time for your wellness, you’ll have to make time for your illness” and that’s been proven true more times than I care to admit in my own life. I’ll wind myself up so much over unnecessary things that I will quite literally make myself ill, so trust me, if you hear that quote yourself it’s no joke.

So, dearest folk of the Hollow, remember that it’s okay to rest. It’s more than okay—it’s important. Turn off your brain, pick up that book or that game or whatever your relaxing hobby is, and indulge in it whenever you need to. Rest isn’t something you earn, and it isn’t something you can bargain away for more time. I struggle with this too, so let’s promise each other that we will do our best not to try and pour from empty cups.

Tell me your favorite way to relax in the comments!

Until next time, dear folk!