Keeping it real: Substack harvest, 2 years and counting, inner Spring slump, and some pretty pictures

Adjusting my June expectations and celebrating my substack garden

**written on day 10 and 11 of my cycle

Day 10 Spring?

Halfway through the day today, I thought I had been plucking along through day 11. In a moment of being unsure, I double checked. Nope, day 10. Does it even matter?

Inner Spring is not quite as springy this cycle phase and I am re-adjusting what my expectations are for this week of inner Spring within outer spring.

Speaking of the spring season

April was very full of socializing, feasts, and podcast recordings. I was in the garden of my substack plowing, planting, and watering, excited by the “synchronicities”(the word of the year that chose me in January). The month just kind of flew by!

May was the harvest of April’s work with the series of May We Talk with beautiful podcast conversations with amazing women that were ready to deep dive into the discussions of cycle awareness. Embedded in the month was my follow-up to the skincare episode with a research heavy article: skin so deep.

Skin So Deep: Follow-up from podcast Ep: 08- The 4 cycle phases and how it effects our skin every week... plus peri skin changes

And just as I sat back to watch my harvest come in, I was asked to be on the panel discussion hosted by Women’s Health 365 Collective in May. Founder, Shelby Tutty busted her skills and gathered a beautiful group of women together all singing the song of self care in harmony. Each person’s unique perspective and wisdom bringing out rich chords of redefining the words ‘self care’.

Before May was over, I was honored to be interviewed by the lovely and amazing Susan Campbell of Phosis who is making waves in Substack land and getting recognition by many other wonderful authors of substack who are recognizing Susan’s radiance (yes, it’s her skincare, but more than that it’s her authentic nature and humility).

May was full

At the end of the month while I watched my substack garden do its thing, I came down with a head cold just as my husband and I were about to go on a camping trip. At this point I was in my inner fall. We decided to go anyway. I am glad we did. The weather was perfect and because we both had colds we were perfect company for each other. When we rest, we really rest hard.

Lakeside views from the campsite. Photography by jess mujica

The cold lasted through my inner winter and because I haven’t had a cold in years, it felt easy compared to the rounds of covid I’ve been through. Still, I think my body needed extra time to recover.

As my Spring days did little to provide inspiration, energy, or creative flare, I felt frustrated. I had hoped that all the resting I did in my inner fall and winter would propel my spring back into action. Yet, I felt on day 7, 8, 9… stuck.

Stuck emotionally, physically, mentally, and creatively.

June 1st 2025

Go With The Flow 2 year Substack birthday!

And today it hit me. I am not out of content, creativity, or motivation. So what gives? What do I need? I think I need to pause and reflect on 2 years of showing up to the keyboard and showing up to the journal to share my curiosity driven analytical and creative flow.

A lot has happened in 2 years!

I have stepped out of my comfort zone in many ways. And by continuing to do this and now adding on the podcast, I am pushing myself in ways I never imagined I would.

And the most amazing thing after 2 years? I’m having so much fun.

I love brainstorming the topics, organizing the content , researching the scholarly journals for the ‘aha’ moments, and expressing my ideas and findings and sharing in rich conversations. And I do all of this with my cycle seasons.

In keeping it real, I’ve shown up to record in my inner winter (Winter transition and A Merry Inner Winter), and I’ve made deep edits in my late fall. 

Winterizing: Transition From Fall to Winter

A Merry Inner Winter

These podcast episodes are great for end of your cycle days and days 1-3. When we can’t remember how to settle in, these are great reminders of what this inner season is all about.

Your likes and comments are such an encouragement for me to keep sharing the cycle awareness practice and the research that backs it up. Thank you.

So today, in my small slump of creative flow, I remember to have grace for myself and wait. Wait for the next wave of creative energy, wait for my mind and body to get the rest it needs from a very productive 2nd year on substack, and wait for whatever is coming next. Sometimes the garden needs a little rest.

While I may not have anything amazing to share today, know that in the background I am beginning to plant the next round and I am so excited to share it with you when it blooms.

Here’s some beauty while you wait.

Hikes and views in WNC. Photography by jess mujica

…Day 11 Spring? Hello? Where are you?

And then I felt it. Strong and sitting me down mid morning after getting my day going and feeling like I might actually have a productive inner spring day.

Dizzy spell. Fatigue. Nausea.

Blood sugar? Nope, I just ate. Blood pressure.

I grabbed the cuff that I bought last year at the advice of my doctor to monitor my blood pressure. It was low. I checked it again and this time stood up. It dropped even lower. Okay. I’m having a POTS flare. My heart rate spiked upon standing.

Time to drink water with salt in it. And rest. Rest some more. Wait. Check it again.

What was I doing? My mind is too frizzled to go to my to-do’s and keep going. Even when my blood pressure comes up (yet, still low from the normal standards), my brain feels spacey.

And I think about this post I have been writing and realize that this is probably why my inner spring is not springing. I don’t know how many flares I’ve had this week, but today during the dizzy spell, I clued in. POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Which basically means that my heart rate spikes upon standing. But also with that comes a host of other symptoms, one of them being Orthostatic Hypotension or low blood pressure when standing up. This is why I felt dizzy and nauseous.

Letting go of inner Spring expectations and now inner spring melds into inner Summer.

Therapy cat, comfort salad, and an artsy profile. Photography by jess mujica

Go With The Flow,