Making Space for Healing: How to find Balance in Recovery and Daily Life
I found myself feeling frustrated with my healing journey. After a week of overstimulation and mental activity, I’ve hit a wall of exhaustion. This is not simply feeling tired. It feels like my battery is drained completely, in desperate need of jumper cables to spark me back into action. My heart longs to feel stronger, to fully rejoin my work responsibilities, and to enjoy the activities I love.
During a heartfelt conversation with my daughter, I was reminded of something I sometimes forget: I need to give myself grace, listen to my body, and pace myself. It’s only been a bit over two months since the surgery. We had no idea what recovery after surgery would look like… we prepared for the worst and prayed for the best.
My daughter reminded me how I was able to push through the early recovery phase more quickly than we expected, which is a huge win worth celebration.
She half laughed at me for putting so much pressure on myself when I am constantly advising her not to.
Sometimes we just need our own advice shared back to us.
I need the constant reminder that I am now in the slow and steady process of rebuilding strength. Healing takes time. Healing is, in many ways, a full-time job. Structuring our day to include time for self care is crucial if we want to expedite recovery.
Why Healing Requires Space in a Busy Life
For most of us, our careers shape nearly every aspect of daily life… when we wake up, how we manage childcare and pet care, when we eat, when we exercise, even when we sleep. This structure isn’t inherently negative, but when we’re in the middle of a healing journey, it requires adjustment. We have to create intentional space for recovery, or we risk burning out before we’re ready to thrive again.
So how do we make space in our busy schedules for healing and self-care?
3 Ways to Prioritize Healing in Everyday Life
1. Time Blocking for Self-Care
Creating a time block calendar can be life-changing when you’re balancing recovery with work and daily responsibilities. A weekly snapshot of your schedule helps you intentionally carve out time for rest, health appointments, or gentle movement. Try this approach: block off time not only for meetings and tasks, but also for naps, journaling, or mindfulness breaks.
Treat your healing time as a non-negotiable commitment.
2. Pace Yourself with Energy Awareness
Pacing yourself is an essential part of the recovery journey. Notice when your body feels most energized and use those hours for your most mentally demanding activities. Save lighter or routine tasks for the times when energy dips. Think of it like running a long-distance race… athletes must know when to sprint and when to conserve energy if they are to successfully cross the finish line.
Honoring your body’s rhythm will help you heal with less frustration.
3. Build Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Healing is deeply supported by healthy lifestyle choices. Start small by choosing just two simple habits to commit to for 14 days. Examples might include:
Drinking more water
Taking a walk each day
Practicing intermittent fasting
Adding more fruits and vegetables to meals
Going to bed at the same time each night
Writing in a journal
Spending 5 minutes in meditation or breathwork
Little changes add up. Over time, these mindful practices help restore balance and strengthen both body and mind.
If you need some guidance, try downloading this 14 day journal prompt PDF that I have curated: The Healing Pause
Giving Yourself Permission to Heal
One of the hardest lessons in recovery is granting ourselves permission to slow down. Gifting yourself space to heal should be your top priority… not something that gets squeezed in when everything else is done. You cannot give your best effort in work, relationships, or life if you are running on empty.
Be patient. Give yourself grace. Allow healing to unfold at its own pace. Your journey may not look like anyone else’s, and that’s okay. Remember: you are not falling behind… you are building the foundation for a healthier, stronger you.