Skip to main content

Slowing Down to Enjoy the Ride


With the holidays upon us, life for us all is getting hectic.  Whether you are hosting, traveling, or just existing in America right now there is a hustle to the world that is hard to shut out. At our house, for Thanksgiving, we caught a stomach bug.  My husband felt ill for one night, went to Thanksgiving dinner, ate all the pie and went about his life.  I made it through Black Friday at the bookstore (it’s even the busiest shopping day of the year for us at a little local bookstore) and CRASHED. I went to bed Friday night after work and proceeded to sleep through Saturday, getting up Sunday and going to work.


I can’t remember the last time I got that kind of sick. I haven’t so much as gotten a cold in years, but I crashed hard.  This morning, Wednesday was the first morning I didn’t feel blah when I woke up.  I actually ate something more substantial than oatmeal or toast today.  I had originally planned on making mulled wine and doing Christmas chores around the house today but have opted for lots of water and a mix of relaxing and chores around the house.


Right now, I have a load of laundry in the washer, dishes soaking in the sink, and am sitting in front of the fire pit enjoying my version of downtime. I’m wondering if my constant go-go-go is part of why the stomach bug hit me so hard.  Clearly, I needed the 30+ hours of sleep I got over a 36-hour period because all that rest has not affected my sleep in the slightest.  
Week Two of Organize Now! Focuses on defining your priorities then tailoring your activities and commitments around those priorities.  I realized that my health wasn’t the priority it needs to be.  Sure, I pay attention to what I eat and try to work out regularly, but I was neglecting rest.  
I dubbed 2019 The Year of Self Care and didn’t fully embrace what that meant.  I got better at the not feeling guilty when I indulged in a second brownie or said yes to a glass of wine, but I went a very superficial route.  I did the at-home facials and pajama days but didn’t think about self-care past that.  I’m not making an official resolution for 2020.  
I am going to continue with a year of self-care- but I’m going to do more than that.  I’m making myself a priority.  
It’s a realization a thousand Hallmark movie heroines have, but we can’t all leave our high-pressure jobs in the big city for small-town life and a cute stranger we met at the all town Christmas festival.

But I can unplug in front of the fire pit for a couple hours every now and then Read a good book, write in my journal, listen to a podcast.  I don’t have to multitask my life away.  I can slow down and enjoy what’s happening.


Especially during the holidays.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So, a Fat Nerd steps onto a scale...

I done did it, y'all. I got my scale out this morning. I can't say that I'm surprised, but I can say that I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Two hundred and freaking forty six pounds. It was a bit of a gut punch. I'm not happy. I know that I have lost weight since our move. I can see it in the mirror. I can tell by the way my clothes fit. But, as it stands this morning I have an official number. 246 Gross. Have I been heavier? Yes. Earlier this year. Have I (as an adult) been lighter? Yes... also earlier this year. Was I heavier when I got my ass in gear a few months ago? Yes. Can I do better? Also, yes. Am I going to be better? HELL YES!!! It's easy to pick a start date that is "later." You screw up on your new diet on Wednesday and decide to start over on Monday, or the first of the month, or the first of the year. Well, guess what? The first of the year is tomorrow. I'm not giving myself "one last night...
4 comments
Read more

NSV: Non Scale Victory

One of the terms that comes up over and over again in the From Fat to Finish Line Facebook group is "NSV" or Non Scale Victory. I hadn't really taken this side of the journey into consideration until I starting seeing other people's victories. When working on weight-loss and health it is so easy to just look at the scale as the only tool of measurement. When I confessed my weight to the group at the New Year one of the first comments I got was to only weigh once a month and not focus solely on the number as there is so much more to take into consideration. Yes, we celebrate everyone's weight loss numbers but there is also just as much support and excitement for the NSVs in the group. Yesterday I posted that it was my fourth day with no cream or sugar in my coffee. Over 120 people as of this writing have showed their support for my achievement. From a huge group of people who have either been there, done that, or are struggling themselves, or just starting...
Post a Comment
Read more

Luna's Fund- Gratitude and Humility

I've already mentioned how the Hogwarts Running Club got me out and running again. The club's main focus is charitable fundraising through running. Every year there are six virtual races of varying distances and there are special medals for each race. When you register for a race, you're paying for your medal, but mostly contributing to the charity that the race is supporting. Right now we are doing the Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody Constant Vigilance 5k in support of Limbs for Life . I think the HRC website explains the connection between Mad-Eye and Limbs for life the best: "Moody never let his injuries stop him. Moody fought in both the First and Second Wizarding Wars and captured many dark witches and wizards, but at a cost. He lost a leg, an eye and part of his nose in carrying out his duties as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. It is in this spirit, we are thrilled to announce that proceeds from this event will go to support the Limbs for Life Fou...
2 comments
Read more