Today I did every single thing you suggested to get myself out of my funk.
No really. I did all of them!
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| "You're going to trip and break your iPhone, momma!" |
You said to exercise? Fine. I pushed the baby around in the stroller for 45 minutes this evening.
And I felt: Better!
Now, I have to admit, when you first suggested exercise I wanted to drive to each of your houses and punch you in the neck. Because I HATE EXERCISE. Hate it. All of it. Yes, that thing you just suggested? I hate that too. Shut up.
But I decided that I didn't have to run 10 miles or pump iron for an hour. I decided a brisk walk counts as more than what I've been doing (which is: curling up in the corner and sucking my thumb). And a long, brisk walk did the trick. Huzzah.
Then you said to spend time with uplifting friends. So it did! I spent two hours with a friend this afternoon. It was lovely.
Result? I felt BETTER STILL.
Then? THEN! I spent half an hour in the bright sunshine . I just sat there while the kids played and let the rays shine down on me.
Result: more freckles! Oh, and I also felt mildly better.
And, God bless her soul, Shannon suggested I drink caffeine. WELL IF YOU SAY SO! I had a Dr. Pepper at lunch today.
I have to say, that jolt of caffeine did more to make an instant difference than anything else I tried.
I also did some sure-fire mood lifting activities for me (fueled no doubt by the caffeine) - I changed the sheets on the bed (I LOVE climbing into a bed with clean sheets. Is this just me? Does everyone get giddy on Clean Sheet Day? No? I'm insane? Well, this is not new information.)
And then I scrubbed the floors. All of them. Come on over here to the corner where the cobwebs accumulate. See that? Yeah. Spotless. Go ahead and lick that floor. Go ahead. It's delicious!
I've also had a terrible time sleeping lately. I'm exhausted all day long, and yet I crawl into bed and toss and turn. What IS that? Argh!
One thing I did today to eliminate any potential sleep interrupters is I to put (KLASSY!) black electrical tape over the lights on my baby monitors.
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| It's like I sleep with a disco ball flashing next to my head. |
Sheesh. I don't even know what to do with me.
Oh, and I also ate cookies today.
Because cookies make everything better. And that's a fact.
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Dare I say it... Ditch the monitors? Noooo, don't hit me. I nearly freaked when our trusty monitor bit the dust. But I can't hear mah BAYBEEES?! Seriously, that night was the best sleep I had in 5 years. YEARS. At 6, I told my son I expect him to get out of bed if he wants me, or yell if he can't (and even at the other end of the house, I Hear You). And my 4 year old? I struggled with the concept of not hearing her (what if she is sick?! Mah baybee!) but seriously, she is far better than her brother at letting us know EXACTLY what she wants, WHEN she wants it. The problem with the monitors and sleep is that your body doesn't *quite* relax when you can hear every little snuggle and snort of your munchkins. Now they are so much bigger, I feel ok with turning them off. As much as it is comforting (my son stopped breathing at 8weeks, so I admit to being the first in line with night time anxiety issues about whether my kids were still breathing and OHMYGODTURNUPTHE MONITORWASTHATACOUGH?!), turning off those monitors was the Best Thing I Ever Did for my sleep. Try it.
ReplyDeletePs I suggest you don't go cold turkey... Turn off #1 monitor, see how you go, then perhaps in a couple weeks try the other one (when you are comfortable that #1 hasn't been taken by aliens in the night and I Didn't Hear Them Come. (seriously my brain can play some cruel tricks!))
ReplyDeleteWoooooo-HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I am so proud of you, Rita!!!!! Also--the caffeine? I know, right?! Seriously.
ReplyDeleteHey, get this--putting tape on the monitors like that? I seriously have a part in one of the chapters of my soon-to-be-released book (on sleeping better) about covering up the lights on your baby monitors. Seriously! Also, we still use ours too, and my kids are 5 and 7! I cannot hear them at ALL w/out it, and they are scared to walk down the hall in the dark in the middle of the night to get me, yet they still (mainly Genevieve, the younger) wake up in the night and call and need comforting or whatever. So....yes I'm lame and still have my monitor too.
Oh--one more thing--I'm so glad you got the message that what I meant but did not spell out was that the exercise should be OUTDOORS if at all possible. Any exercise will help, but nature and sunshine magnify the mood-enhancing effects enormously. I'm sort of convinced that the outside part is the main part of why it works.
Oops--I should clarify. My book is not about sleeping better. My book is on better self-care and happiness/fulfillment/health for stay-at-home moms, and one chapter deals with sleep.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Glad to hear you're feeling better. I think I may go eat some cookies now. :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic!!! You have totally motivated me to try and get out of my funk as well!!!!
ReplyDeleteyay! so glad to hear that all of it helped.
ReplyDeletep.s. and yay for cookies, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm delurking to say that oh, getting started to get out of a funk is the HARDEST. Yay for you!! Also, I am with you on Clean Sheet Day being a highlight in my life.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you ditched the funk! I had loads of advice and then my stoopid computer decided to lock up and I had to walk away. Didn't get to share my wisdom but it looks like I was going to suggest things everyone had already suggested. The gals that read this blog are so smart!
ReplyDeleteI think you should ditch the monitors. ACK! I know, I know, but you just tuck them in tight tell those sweet babes that you'll see them in the morning. If they're sick in the night you'll know it because they'll come for you. They're growing up! :)