A Restful Monday

Last week my housemate LB informed me that I needed to take the full 3 day weekend. “Remember when our boss had surgery and was a grump because he wouldn’t take a break?” she asked. “That’s you right now.”

I kind of got where she was coming from, but I didn’t quite see it. Until tonight.

Normally, I go to the church event I volunteer at on Monday nights and feel exhausted. I guzzle coffee. I barely manage to focus during conversations. It isn’t pretty.

Tonight while I prepped the coffee and set the tables, I had a sudden realization. I didn’t need coffee. I didn’t even want it. And sure, my brain spaced a few times, but I felt…alert. Engaged. What scared me the most was that I hadn’t realized that was a feeling I was missing.

So hurray for housemates who give it to you straight and hurray for three-day-weekends because of Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day. This was a much needed restful Monday.

A Day Off

After spending this very long week telling my assistant that I would take an afternoon off…I finally did. In fact, I took the entire day off.

It was lovely and long overdue.

Happy Friday, all!

Acupuncture Experience

My first acupuncture experience left me with a lot of mixed feelings. I don’t think I fully realized what I was getting myself into. I thought the doctor would poke me with needles for 30 minutes or whatever and then I’d go on with my day.

I did not expect to spend the rest of the day exhausted and napping.

Which apparently is part of the point. Acupuncture helps you relax. While I wouldn’t put it on the scale of “full body massage,” I did walk away much less tense.

My skin had a histamine reaction to the needles which seems par for the course with me and might have contributed to my exhaustion.

I’m still a little skeptical but definitely going back.

Long-Term Rest

It is very strange to be an adult and lie in bed for five days straight.

It is strange enough doing it for one day as an adult. Say, a Saturday one weekend. Those days I feel decadent and lazy and usually spend most of the day anxiously reviewing my to-do list.

But with COVID hitting hard, I have just spent my fifth day in a row lying in bed doing nothing. I didn’t work. I didn’t get any chores done other than a load of laundry. And the most I did for cooking was to heat up some lunch for my housemate and myself.

But because it is COVID and all I want to do is sleep, it doesn’t feel lazy like I expect it to. It feels like being a kid again with no real responsibilities, mostly because I can’t be bothered to remember what responsibilities I’m forgetting.

Except my daily blog post. That I remember.

Sunday with Kristina

Visiting Kristina is always lovey, and not only because she doesn’t mind when I just sit and read. She’s incredibly gracious about planning things I like.

Like bookstore visits, boba tea, and afternoons spent watching Chinese dramas.

And food I can eat. (She’s even more mindful of my food sensitivities than me!)

Her roommate also has a cat so I even get cat time when I come.

This has been a lovely, restful, and fun weekend. It is so nice being within driving distance of one of my best friends!

Sunday Night Rambles

I planned on blogging about the movie Little Women tonight, but turns out I left my computer at home so I am writing this post from my phone. And it is difficult to convey much from a phone.

Plus, I am tired.

It was a long weekend. Good to see family. Good to celebrate the life of Grandma Bea. She was an incredible lady.

And now it is good to be back in my apartment and preparing for the week. A very long week. But Spring break is not far off and with it a variety of fun plans!

Until then (or at least, until tomorrow), have a good night everyone.

Why Is Waking Up So Hard To Do?

In the spirit of not waiting till the last moment, I decided to write this post first thing this morning. If I’m honest, this is a mediocre solution because I’m still half-asleep. However! This phenomenon has inspired today’s post. Why is it so hard to get out of bed? 

I decided to start with a simple Google search and, like with most Google searches about health, quickly concluded something was dramatically wrong with me. Does grogginess in the morning really mean I have chronic fatigue or restless leg syndrome or an underlying psychiatric disorder? I’m guessing no. If that were the case, just about everyone I know has something seriously wrong with them! A little more research, however, and I did find two “answers” that made a lot more sense and actually offer some helpful thoughts for getting up in the morning. (That said, they still came from a Google search, so I am taking them with a grain of salt) 

Observation 1: Phase Delay
Basically, everyone has an inner clock inside their head that tells them when to wake up. Often, that inner clock sets a later time than life requires. It is possible to reprogram the clock to an earlier time, but you have to remain consistent. Sleeping in on the weekends often “resets” that clock and confuses your body. Those extra hours of sleep cause more stress come Monday because your inner clock now things your wake up time is noon. http://bit.ly/1qLMXU8

Observation 2: Sleep Inertia
According to this article, when you sleep, you go through 4 different sleep cycles. If you wake up in the deepest part of that sleep (stages 3 or 4), “the hormones that keep us sleeping soundly are still coursing through our bloodstream.” http://bit.ly/1Nt4lHW The advise from the article? Don’t hit the snooze button. Even if you feel groggy, force yourself to get out of bed and shake off the grogginess. Otherwise you are restarting the cycles.

I am sure there are lots of other studies and reasons out there. I was just looking for a brief overview. I have realized that it takes discipline to get up in the morning. However, I found a few interesting tips on helping yourself sleep better and get up in the morning that make it easier. For example, it is helpful to reduce screen time beforehand, eat a light snack or drink some water before bed, have your alarm clock play your favorite music, and eat right when you get up. My favorite piece of advise, though, is this: Do Something Fun In The Morning. If you are looking forward to something, it will motivate you to get out of bed! http://huff.to/1sqGJGb