I recently took a week and a half off of work and LISTEN: when that Monday morning came for my first day back at work I was not excited.

I typically take time off to go out of town or for my birthday but this time I was just so damn tired after being overwhelmed for months on end. Now some of it is just the nature of my job and some of that is the nature of my Libra moon/codependent tendencies. I have a bad habit of always wanting to make everyone happy, always wanting to please everybody, and making it my personal responsibility to contort myself in whatever way I can to avoid saying what’s really on my mind.

A couple of nights before I had to go back, I went ahead and gave myself a Tarot reading about it after being inspired by an IG Reel about vacations. They said that vacations won’t fix anything. It’s like taking a fish out of a dirty aquarium, putting it in a clean one for a week to “detox” and then putting it back in the even-more-gross aquarium: that fish is gon’ get sick real fast.

The main theme of the reading was to remind myself that MY PEACE IS MY PRIORITY and to move accordingly in all areas of my life. For me that means taking less meetings per week, scheduling and then actually taking my breaks, reminding myself that even though washing the dishes is annoying, having a clear sink contributes to my peace, and the list goes on.

I Know I mentioned a Tarot Spread for ya’ll, so here is what I’ve devised based on the cards that I pulled for myself. If you want to work with a Significator Card (a technique I’ve mentioned in a previous post) I think the 4 of Swords is an excellent choice for this spread. This is an excellent Tarot Spread for those of us that struggle with setting boundaries with our many responsibilities. The purpose of this exercise is to support you in understanding why you’re so overwhelmed and then, what you can do to change that over time.

A Tarot Spread for Restoration

• What is currently causing me to prioritize stress over rest?
• What do I already have available to me that can support separation from unnecessary stressors?
• How can I structure my life in a way that prioritizes my peace? (Get specific here)

And as always, these spreads are flexible! You can simply journal on the questions with no cards, use an oracle deck, playing cards, or whatever else floats your boat. If you like background music while you work through a spread, I’m a fan of playing a song on repeat in the background. My song of choice for this spread is Break My Soul by Beyonce.

Release ya anger, release ya mind
Release ya job, release the time
Release ya trade, release the stress
Release the love, forget the rest