A red-eye reminder
There’s nothing like a red-eye to remind you of the powers of sleep deprivation. Not only was I running on fumes from two hours of sleep, but I needed to unpack, do laundry, restock the groceries, and start catching up on work.
The hardest part of the whole day wasn’t even all the “doing”. It was the emotional pit I felt myself in. Overwhelm, sadness, rigidity, stress, and did I mention overwhelm? I kept finding myself thinking about all the things that need to happen in the next few weeks and then feeling like it was all totally insurmountable.
I even woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep due to the swirling thoughts (on repeat). It was a nightmare where the monster was my to-do list trying to swallow me up.
I finally succumbed to a sane thought (at 1 a.m.) and turned to a guided meditation to quieten my mind and get to sleep.
I know I run smoothly on a good night’s rest. I know that my emotions felt very big and very real. I also know better than to base any decisions from the emotions that come from a depleted version of myself. We all need to live by this rule: Offer yourself what you need. When we do this, we get what we want: The life we dream of instead of the one we’re experiencing.
I don’t want to quit my work or my family or writing my book (though I felt like quitting all of them that night!). I want them all. So, when I woke up the next morning, I meditated first. You have to manage your emotions before you can manage your day.
Overwhelm is the feeling of a loss of control. I created a list, a prioritized list, and started working away. I reverse engineered my calendar to set targets for my book. After planning, I jumped back into “doing”. That list and my planner are the trust bridge I create with myself to help me stay focused when I’m “on” and also allow me to turn “off” and enjoy experiencing my life.
Know what you need to do to support yourself. Make a plan to make that happen. Remember, offer yourself what you NEED. It’s what makes you better at all the “doing”.
I invite you to join Hero Inc to get useful time and energy conserving strategies that will save you from living life on an emotional rollercoaster. Overwhelm and exhaustion can stop being a part of everyday life.
