Tag: tired
Recovering from emotional fatigue
When we’re physically exhausted, a good night’s sleep is often enough to bounce back. Emotional fatigue can take a lot longer to recover from.
When we’re drained of energy by things like the shock of bad news, being overwhelmed by too much on our plates, or from slogging through a rough day at work, we often don’t feel better the next morning.
It took me many years to learn what helps me recover from this type of exhaustion. My best remedy is spending an entire day or more in a quiet, dark room. I’ll read a book or just rest. The important part is the sensory deprivation, which is my antidote for too much stimulation.
Of course, it’s often not possible to shut myself away from everyone and everything for 24 hours because even on a weekend there are people or things that need attention. When I can’t take a long break, I ask myself, “what is the most supportive thing I can do for myself right now?”
During a rough day last week, the answer was to take a 30-minute walk in the last bit of afternoon sunshine after I finished work. A month earlier, it was to take two hours to be alone in the middle of a weekend spent with others. Even though neither of these were my perfect solution, I felt significantly better in the moment and was back to my normal self within a couple of days. I found a way of starting to regain energy instead of continuing to add to my stress and exhaustion.
Part of why this method works is that I acknowledge how depleted I am and then assign the intention of supporting myself to whatever action I decide take. If last week I had just hung out on the couch, scrolling through my phone mindlessly for two hours, I would have distracted myself but not taken steps toward refilling my tank.
If you’re feeling drained, what is the best thing you can do for yourself right now?
Because Tove Lo Made Eating Dinner in the Bathtub Acceptable
When Tove Lo sings about eating dinner in the bathtub, I’m thinking “right on!” Now that is a great time-saving life hack. I also admire her determination to get over her broken relationship, but cannot recommend using the rest of her lyrics as advice.
I once thought doing a parody of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” would be fun, but only got as far as standing on a bar room chair before I got yelled at by the bouncer. I didn’t even get to the dancing on the table tops part. It was good night, anyway. I played tambourine on stage with the band. Percussion instruments are my specialty.
Anyway, I mention that as another example of gleaning the wisdom wherever you can while having the sense to ignore the parts that are going to get you thrown out of a club or desperately picking up daddies on the playground. In case it isn’t clear, those parts are NOT good advice to emulate; they are the parts to ignore.
Anyway, back to eating dinner in the bathtub. As I mentioned in my recent blog post, I’m all for drinking coffee in the shower, or even making coffee while reclining in bed. Showering is not recommended for most solid foods, however, because obviously you’re risking your meal disintegrating in front of your eyes. A bath is more logical for solid foods, especially pizza or boxed chocolates because they are easy to grip and less likely to become blended with your bath oils. Tove Lo knows what she’s talking about here.
Dinner’s over; sleepy time!
A commenter suggested upgrading the bedside coffee hack to include a mini-fridge in place of a traditional nightstand in order to make a complete breakfast. This shows real ingenuity, especially because it broadens the options for eating dinner in bed as well. If you’re having such a hard time waking up in the morning that you have to make breakfast in bed, you are also probably tired enough to go to bed at dinner time.
Taking the evening meal in bed has endless possibilities because you can prepare any food that you want in the kitchen first and then take it to bed on a plate or a wad of paper towels. If you have life hacked your way up to mini-fridge-nightstand status, even better. Skip the kitchen and make dinner in bed, too. That hour that you would have spent preparing, consuming and cleaning up after a meal translates into an extra hour in bed. Who’s not up for that?!
I’ve been a fan of eating dinner in bed for a long time. A full stomach makes one tired, so you’re on your way to falling asleep quickly. And on the other hand, if you take your laptop to bed in the evening, you might as well maximize your multitasking by answering emails or posting on Facebook while eating. Tip: taking breaks to clean your fingers with a wet wipe will prevent your keyboard from getting greasy.
Years ago, someone said to me, “I wouldn’t kick you out of bed for eating crackers.” The compliment was totally lost on me – Southerners and their Southern charm! Because it is totally normal and expected to eat crackers in bed. Anything you can eat out of the container it came in is a natural bedtime food choice.
I regularly settle under the covers for the night with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s or a box of crackers. It’s not like I eat junk food all the time, unlike Tove Lo and her Twinkies. I often choose gluten-free crackers. Sometimes I’ll even eat raw carrots; as many as will fit into an improvised paper towel baggie.
So there you have it. Just as coffee in bed immediately upon waking is recommended to jump-start your day, so is ending it on a comforting note by snuggling under the covers with your dinner.
Well. I guess there’s one more thing. Remember that you can find wisdom in just about anything if you’re looking for it. Just be sure to separate out the helpful information from the bad advice.
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