Last Thursday, I was jamming away on a game, already behind on a deadline, and I started to feel the familiar pressure of a headache begin to grow behind my right eye socket. I was scared and overwhelmed - losing another day to pain at this point in project seemed disastrous, and I desperately wanted to keep working and push through the pain.

However, I decided to rest. I let go of what I thought I would accomplish that day. I biked home, got in bed fully-clothed, and played a guided meditation on my phone. When I woke up ninety minutes later, my head felt clear, and I ended up finishing the piece of the game I was working on that morning.

I had thought that pausing and being gentle with myself was weak and inconvenient. The truth was it made me stronger. And the work I’m able to do from a well-rested mindset is much better than when I’m frantic and hurting.

“Francesca Saves the Day” is about that pressure to keep going - the fear that not getting everything done means disaster for yourself and others. So are you up for the challenge? Can you save the pond kingdom or will the cost be too steep?