This week’s OOH LA LA! Is: lying down and letting my body rest in a horizontal position
The summer heat is here in New York City, and while I LOVEEE the summer time, the heat can be overwhelming.
Something to do with all the concrete and lack of trees makes the heat extra sweltering in the city.
Some days, I swear you can see the heat steaming from the sidewalks.
The heat alone is enough to make any person weary with exhaustion, but mix this with layers of grief and a draining day job, and you’ve got a perfect burnout recipe.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the stable income, but as an artist in a misaligned job, I’m feeling depleted, like every other time I’ve tried to make it work at some routine, boring job like the one I’ve got now.
I’m soul-tired from spending my time and energy on tasks that feel trite and inefficient, and I feel more and more like a fish out of water, trying to succeed in a place that was never meant for me.
I’ve considered looking for another job, maybe one that will pay more, or one that is more closely connected to my interests, or one with management I admire, but the truth is - I do not want a job!
I want to write and make art and share my ideas in more places. I want to spend my efforts bringing my joy-filled visions to life instead of toiling away answering inbound leads and creating organizational systems in a disorganized infrastructure. I don’t want to meet KPIs, I want to meet myself more fully. I want to pour onto the page and spill out all the images and colors and words in my mind.
For now, I know the best I can do is not to fight the frustration or push through the depletion, but simply to rest.
Like this:
When I surrender to the situation - of the heat and the fatigue - I realize that I’m tired and that it’s no use to try to pretend it’s any other way. Then, I more easily soften to myself and remember a tenderness that is usually reserved for friends and loved ones. Then, I extend the same sweet care and kindness to my own body and spirit, and finally lie down.
On the floor, on the couch, on my bed, it doesn’t matter - to get my body into a horizontal position is to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Lately, my favorite spot is on the hot tile of my apartment terrace, where I lie on my back with legs outstretched and close my eyes. On sunny days, I pretend I’m at the beach, the hot tile becoming the hot sand, and the sound of city traffic transforming into ocean waves breaking back and forth on the shore.
I did yoga teacher training years ago, and I remember long discussions about the benefits of lying down. My teacher was so lovingly adamant about this that they encouraged us to structure our classes with savasana lasting no less than 10 minutes, even in a short 30-minute session. From what I remember, lying down without sleeping, like in savasana, where you stretch out arms and legs and do not move, is a deeply restorative act for the nervous system. When you lie down, circulation improves and your heart rate lowers, and if you can allow it, your mind can quiet too.
Yes, it’s a simple thing, but not easy, especially in this pressure-cooked, fast-paced world. It feels so defiant to resist the urgency and to rest, but the act itself is restorative and gentle. Maybe like me, you’re feeling weary, worn down, or even just overwhelmed.
May I suggest that you have a little lie down?
XOXO,
LJ
Thanks for reading!!
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As always, I’d love to know about your OOH LA LA! somethings. Reply to this email or comment below and tell me about what’s pleasing you or making you wonder this week!
I feel ya on just not wanting a job 🥲 especially as I'm waiting for my ADHD testing results to come in... I'm realizing now that this perpetual cycle of excelling -> burnout is just not sustainable, but Capitalism demands I work, so I have to just stop burning out. Which is way, WAY easier said than done, especially in 2025.
Brb gotta go lay down and be a decadent young woman.