What Happens When You Hit Your Limit?

I’m now in my fourth week without one of my ADHD meds, Reader.

The situation has thrown my normal rhythms and energy into disarray, to say nothing of my focus, attention, and cognitive function.

Side note: This newsletter is not as coherent as I’d like it to be, but, as my friend Katie Lance always reminds me: done is better than perfect.

I’m giving myself some grace, and I hope you’ll extend me some as well.

Lately I’ve been navigating the conflicting reality of my inner state:

My optimistic (albeit often unrealistic) agenda is exceeded only by the size of my ambition: I have a big vision, strong purpose, and high desire to succeed.

On the other hand, I keep bumping up against some very hard limits regarding my current capacity or about what’s possible in any given time block, day, or week.

Constantly bumping up against your limits can be a recipe for frustration and anger — especially for someone with ADHD, because we are more prone to anger and frustration in the first place.

As difficult as this has been, it was not unexpected.

I knew months ago that this summer — and especially this pocket of time we are in right now — would likely bring some challenging moments, even if I didn’t know exactly how they would show up.

I knew this in the same way that you know that in the northeast

it’s likely to snow in the winter
July and August will be hot
late summer and early autumn bring hurricane season.

I knew what I call the “Astro-weather”: the energy that defines a particular quality of time when planets configure in certain alignments.

The planetary alignments of this past week into next week involve Mars and Jupiter meeting up at the same point in the sky, with both of them in an aspect of friction to Saturn, called a square.

Mars and Jupiter bring expansive desire and bold action. Saturn brings a stop to the party. As I explained in more detail on the blog, it’s like setting out on a road trip with a full tank of gas, excited for your destination, and suddenly hitting standstill traffic.

I break this all down on the blog.

In their own ways, Mars and Jupiter both represent energies opposite to the energy of Saturn. And their squares to Saturn often represent difficult moments.

Aspects between Saturn and Mars are especially notorious for being difficult times.

Two things to remember here:

(1) The planets don’t create events. They mirror what is happening.

(2) Planets represent archetypes within us. As they form relationships in the sky, they invite us to engage those parts of ourselves in dialogue.

Another way to think about this is that the planetary alignments pull focus to themes that are always present but may be under the surface.

What Happens When You Hit Your Limits?

In this case, the current planetary alignments are pulling focus to a common inner tension:

What happens when your ambition or vision bumps up against the reality of your limited resources — time, money, attention, focus, bandwidth?

One thing I’ve learned is that we can always count on Saturn to show us our limits. The question is how we respond when we are faced with that reality.

The Power of Knowing What’s Happening

Although I didn’t know how these alignments would show up in my life, I knew this summer would likely present some challenges that would force me to examine my limits.

Because I knew the “weather forecast,” I have been able to prepare for this moment to some extent.

For example, I’ve intentionally not overloaded my schedule so I could create more space for myself to rest and recover when necessary.

Even just knowing what’s happening has enabled me to see how it’s showing up in my life and work with these themes in a more conscious way.

My clients also tell me that they find value in simply having an explanation for what they are experiencing.

I’ve found that it can help us be more objective in how we meet the moment and ourselves.

For example, I’ve been able to meet myself with compassion when I hit my limits or my agenda gets derailed.

TBH, Reader, this is everything.

So many times in the past when I hit my limits or my day hit a snag I’d get so absorbed in my anger and self-blame that I’d end up in a self-ruminating shame spiral. That’s an awful place to be, and it’s so counter-productive.

The Revolutionary Nature of Acceptance

Rather than fighting the reality of the moment, I’ve been able to find acceptance and give myself some grace.

This is not easy for a person with ADHD to do, and let me tell you that it has been nothing short of revolutionary.

Going down the rabbit hole of blame and shame exacts a high cost in terms of energetic resources, which leaves us with little for actually taking action.

Like it isn’t bad enough when your day gets off track, spinning in negative thought loops just takes you further away from your target.

In the space created by acceptance, new ideas, insights, and approaches emerge.

Acceptance of the reality of our limitations doesn’t mean we are giving in. It means we aren’t fighting that reality.

When we stop fighting it, we allow space for new ideas, insights, and approaches to emerge.

In fact, I’ve even uncovered some positive attributes of hard Mars/Saturn aspects, which has helped me reframe my experience and see deeper meaning purpose in it.

In the space created by self-compassion, forward movement becomes possible.

When we are wrapped up in self-judgment, it’s impossible to take action. Paralysis and procrastination overcome us.

By finding self-compassion, I’ve been able to move forward — even if it’s in small baby steps.

Even just writing this email to you and sending it out is a huge win.

In the space created by grace, support becomes possible.

By giving myself some grace, I’ve empowered myself to identify, ask for, and receive the support I need.

I’ve found the courage to share my experience more publicly, which helps others and myself.

I’ve found ways to navigate the obstacles.

Again, these are not small things.

The Power of Astrological Literacy

All of this has reinforced for me the power of having “astrological literacy” with my own chart. The ability to understand the “weather forecast” and know whether and how it might impact me directly has been huge.

To use a sports metaphor, it helps me see the play in real time as it’s unfolding. And that empowers me to come up with a new approach to score.

This is just one reason why I’m so passionate about my upcoming Practical Astrology course. I want you to feel the empowerment that comes when you can recognize your agency in the face of challenges, find self-compassion in the midst of difficulty, and embrace grace through struggle.

To be honest, I was hoping to have already taught the first cohort before this bumpy stretch of time. But getting the offering up online has hit some snags, but I trust in the timing of when it will emerge.

This, too, is part of the lesson of this moment.

Saturn is the wise teacher and the planet that governs things that take time. As it shows us our limits, it also reminds us that to build something lasting and sustainable takes time.

In the meantime, I might have a few creative workarounds… so stay tuned.

I’d love to hear what is resonating with you from all of this, and how this dynamic is showing up in your life. Hit reply to start a conversation.

xoxo,

Renee

PS: You’re already on the VIP list for Practical Astrology, so you’ll get first notice when enrollment opens. If you want to spread the word in the meantime, you can direct your friends to this link to sign up.

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I’d love to hear which of these resonated most with you, and any questions you have.