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28.10.2025 14:37 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0Friend link, in case you don't have a Medium account:
28.10.2025 14:37 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
For two years, I thought unpredictable energy crashes were just my "new normal" with chronic illness.
Then I discovered strategic rest: scheduling recovery breaks BEFORE I felt tired.
The push-crash cycle wasn't inevitable after all.
Rest isnβt a reward for getting things done.
Itβs maintenance.
7 common mistakes that derail your pre-emptive rest plan, and how to avoid them.
Pre-emptive rest works best when itβs intentional and protected, but most of us unknowingly undermine it.
Here are 7 gentle fixes that help it stick.
If I could talk to my newly diagnosed self, Iβd tell her this:
Rest isnβt lazy.
Itβs how you start to heal.
Chronic illness can make your body feel like a stranger.
My new essay introduces the 4-step REST framework to help you rebuild trust, reframe rest, and learn to communicate with your body again.
Essential reading for a gentler path forward.
#ChronicIllness #SelfCare #Rest
And, as always, friends, here's your link to read for free:
23.10.2025 18:36 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Ever put your glasses on to listen to a podcast? Or made coffee with just granules?
My latest essay shares the wild reality of brain fog and why it's so much more than just forgetfulness.
medium.com/_bethanyk...
#BrainFog #ChronicIllness
Now I use Tana, which is a notetaking/organising software, but any kind of notes app or whatever would work.
For me the biggest help comes from just putting everything in ONE place. I don't do well if I have to remember that X is in my emails, and Y is saved in Google Keep.
Does that help?
I just mean somewhere to keep everything. So, for a long time, that was just a big, messy, jumbled notebook for me, with a lot of sticky notes to mark pages I needed to reference often.
23.10.2025 18:22 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0Somehow, getting it all out of my head and onto the page - or into a voice note - frees my brain up from having to hold onto All The Things, and gives me just a little extra capacity for the important stuff ... like remembering my own car number plate when paying for parking.
23.10.2025 18:17 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Tired of waiting until youβre exhausted to rest?
The 3-2-1 Rest Method is a simple way to pace your energy and prevent crashes.
Three check-ins, two rest blocks, one weekly reset.
Friend link, so you can read for free:
These practices wonβt cure brain fog.
But they create a safety net of structure, self-compassion, and calm predictability, that helps you function on even the foggy days.
Externalise what's difficult.
Create gentle structure.
Give your brain grace.
3. Opening + Closing Duties
Like a cafΓ© routine: start and end the day with small check-ins.
Morning: glance over your calendar and priorities.
Evening: reflect and reset.
These bookends help contain your day and remind you itβs okay to stop.
2. Morning Brain Dump
Empty your mind before the dayβs demands stack up.
Stream-of-consciousness writing, voice notes, or a quick list over coffee β whatever helps you unburden your brain and make space to think.
1. External Brain
When your brainβs unreliable, build a reliable one outside yourself.
A βcatch-allβ system gives you a backup.
It doesnβt stop brain fog, but it lets you find what you need in seconds.
When your brainβs at low capacity, outsource the mental load wherever you can.
Brain fog isnβt just inconvenient β itβs a thief.
It steals your productivity, confidence, and sense of self.
After years of chronic illness, these 3 daily practices have become my antidote to brain fog.π§΅
List of suspects for the Louvre heist:
- the muppets
- George Clooney and his friends
- the beagle boys and ma beagle
- literally any cat
- the snake from Disneyβs Robin Hood
Yes! Please make a point of existing in the real world, the world of things made by people, and form your own opinions, and then go and make new things.
22.10.2025 12:04 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0Friend link, in case you don't have a Medium account:
21.10.2025 09:26 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
For two years, I thought unpredictable energy crashes were just my "new normal" with chronic illness.
Then I discovered strategic rest: scheduling recovery breaks BEFORE I felt tired.
The push-crash cycle wasn't inevitable after all.
Today #selfcare looked like nerdgaming, scary movies, kittens.
What did it look like for you?
#TakeYourMeds
#DrinkMoreWater
#ToDefeatTheNazis
- Lunch outside.
- The slowest of slow walks with my elderly dog.
- White noise to make my family seem less loud.
Stop pushing through.
Thatβs how we broke.
If it costs your self-regulation, itβs too expensive.
Rest is essential - itβs not weakness
Itβs strength.
Friend link, so you can read for free: bethanyknight.medium...
20.10.2025 17:13 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0