The Mask & the Wings

What my body has been trying to tell me—& what it means to finally listen

For months, I’ve felt drained. Not just physically—but energetically, emotionally, spiritually. It felt like everyone around me was reaching for pieces of me: needing advice, venting their worries, leaning on me in their mess. And while I’ve always been the one who shows up—with open ears, words of comfort, encouragement—there’s a silent ache that builds when it's not reciprocated. I was pouring from a cup that hadn't been refilled in far too long.

Eventually, I pulled inward. I went quiet. And when the emotional exhaustion had nowhere else to go, my body started speaking up. First it was soreness in my heel. Then tension in my ankle. I had tried everything from skipping my 5AM club on weekends to tapping marathons to facials with led masks. I knew it was time to stop pushing through and start listening. That’s when I finally booked my first Reiki session.

Slicing my finger on a serrated knife last weekend and then breaking down in what I can only describe as an emotional whirlwind, only solidified that I needed this session to heal all parts of me.

With everything I’d been carrying—the heaviness, the over-giving, the creative blocks—I had a sense that what I needed wasn’t just rest, but release. Not just self-care, but energetic repair. I’d already been reflecting for weeks on what might be stuck inside of me, and how I’ve been unconsciously protecting myself from pain. What started in February as a distraction—pouring myself into a pasta guide project—was really a response to emotional overload. My Capricorn Sun instinct kicked in: suppress the feeling, channel it into productivity. But it couldn’t hide forever.