Exhaustion is a sneaky (you fill in the blank) Bye: Denise Orsulak

Have you ever been motoring along in your life, but had a little nagging feeling in the back of your head that was urging you to slow down? You might even realize a break is in order? You make plans in a few weeks to take a day off or 2. But it’s too late.

Bam! All of a sudden you feel like you have been hit with a sack of bricks.

That vacation in a few weeks seems so far away. How are you going to survive the next few weeks until it arrives? That is exhaustion and boy can that (fill in the blank) sneak up on you.

I was having that nagging feeling a couple of weeks ago and now the exhaustion is real. Luckily, I had decided to take a little break. Even the most mindful of us all can run into this scenario.

How can you prevent this from happening in your life? Here are a few suggestions.

• Leave some white space in your calendar-just because you have the open space does not mean you should book it

 

• Back out of social commitments- forget the fear of missing out, you need a break, and your friends will understand

 

• Squeeze in some self-care- forget the laundry or whatever chore needs to be done, do anything that fills you up

 

• Ask for help from family and friends

 

• Hire help (even if its short term)

 

• Order a meal plan service for a week or 2 to take the pressure off of planning and shopping for dinner

 

• Call in sick-yeah that is what those days are for

 

• Say no for a little while-no to fun things, no to volunteer things, no to baking things, I do not know. JUST NO!

I am taking next Wednesday to Sunday off for Spring break and I’m not traveling anywhere. It’s ok to take off and stay home. Not set the alarm and reconnect and rest however works for you. I am going to learn how to make chocolate covered cherries, maybe take a trip to ground for sculpture, and generally give myself time to rest. There is a lot of white space on my calendar, and it will stay that way. Determining what I need each hour is a good way for me to recharge.

I am just like you. This is an ongoing practice for me. I recognized I needed the break but just a tad too late. Now I will do what I need to recharge. I will watch my schedule. I will say no. I will use my boundaries. When I feel my best, I can be a better teacher, body worker, mother, and all the other things I need to be in my life.

And you can too…so listen closely and pay close attention to your schedule. Remember our emotional and physical activities contribute to this exhaustion. If you have been worried or anxious or dealing with any other situation that has your nervous system on alert, even with a “light” schedule, you can become exhausted.

Be well, watch out for the sneaky (fill in the blank). And let me know how I can support you.

Love,

Denise

P.S. I edited this post to allow for the fill in your blank after a discussion with a close friend.  I had my own word and there can be many here such as bugger, devil, clown, ect. ect. and some ones that need #$#%* to fill in the blank.  If you see me, you can ask me what mine was and also you can share what yours is.