Planning for Tiredness: A different Kind of Strength

Today, I made a new kind of goal for myself. One that feels different than the usual "get everything done" kind of goal.

My goal was simple: Complete the hard things before my physical therapy appointment. Not because I wanted to rush. Not because I needed to "beat" tiredness. Because I knew, deep down, that I will be tired later. And that’s not weakness. That’s just the truth of healing.

Physical therapy is real work. It’s not just movement — it’s retraining my brain, my body, my balance, my strength to work together in harmony. It’s rebuilding pathways inside myself that were weakened by injury and time and fear. It's kind of like how a woodland path isn't a path until animals start using it and the plants get worn away in order create it.

And that takes so much more energy than it looks like on the outside.

Sometimes, when I come home from therapy, my brain is foggy. My body is heavy. My head aches. Sometimes the fatigue hits right away, sometimes the next morning. It is an honorable tired. It is like knowing that my brain is becoming stronger and more resilient.

Today, I honored that truth.

Instead of pretending I was invincible, I made my goal something loving: Get my important tasks done before therapy. Give myself space after to rest.

I realized something else, too: When I plan ahead like this, I’m not just "getting things done. "I’m protecting my future tired self.

I’m saying to her:

“Some days I feel like I’m on my third life out of nine—and it's not one of the glamorous ones. It's more the hardworking kind. But I still believe in the power of a nap and a well-placed sticker to reset the rhythm and move to the rested fourth life.”

There is a kind of strength that isn’t about pushing harder. There’s a strength that’s about planning softer. Choosing ahead of time to move with kindness, not punishment.

And today, I’m grateful that I gave that strength to myself.

Sometimes, honoring tiredness means shifting my dreams, too.

Last week, I didn’t do ballet at all.The physical exertion of therapy — and the headaches that followed — made it clear that my body needed every ounce of energy for healing. At first, it felt hard to accept. Ballet has been a place of hope and freedom for me.

But instead of punishing myself for needing rest,I found smaller ways to stay connected to the spirit of ballet: listening to classical music from the ballets I love, imagining movement in my mind, keeping the door open without forcing my body through it.

Because if I hadn’t given myself that grace,I wouldn’t have been able to return to physical therapy for the second day that week or do ballet this week. I would have burned out my light instead of protecting it.

Healing isn’t just about endurance. It’s about knowing when to carry your dreams lightly —and trusting they’ll still be there when your strength returns.

Closing Thoughts

Today reminded me that honoring tiredness isn't a weakness — it's wisdom. Making space for my tired self isn't giving up. It's building a life where I can thrive even on the hardest days.

If you know tiredness will come after a hard day that seems to go on forever, maybe you can give yourself permission now to prepare for it with kindness. Your future self is already so grateful.

Now Go. Be Safe. Now That You Are Not Alone.

Journal Prompt: What can I do today to care for my future tired self?