Morning. I have nothing until noon and I just slept until 8:30. Whoa. Must have needed it.
Which brings me to the topic for this page: a quick review on self-care. I forget and I even teach the stuff! I suspect you forget, too.
We were gone for nearly two weeks. Iceland meant new climate, new food, new routine, new time zone. These are all stressors. The human body was meant to cover the distance between here and there in five months, not five hours. Then I came home and was not at the top of my game for something important. More stress.
I am sure you know about you. Me, I show stress by not sleeping and sometimes I get a migraine. I had two last week. While migraines are not fun, they tell me something. I need to stop the nonsense and take care of myself! That means a big dose of PLEASE.
Off schedule, my husband and I both missed our meds a couple of times. I needed to take care of my physical illnesses by getting back on my meds on a regular basis. That meant being sure I took my meds right after brushing my teeth like always. Routine.
Eating properly had to happen which meant I had to – gasp! – cook. My big deficit is vegetables. For me, carbs and salt are basic food groups. I had to avoid that and provide myself with meat, potatoes and a vegetable or two or three.
Balanced nutrition was a must. We are what we eat….in that case, I’m popcorn!
Avoiding intoxicants has never been a problem for me but if you are the type to have a couple of beers or a few puffs to destress on a regular basis, you should stop. Not good for you.
I say that and then I turn around and say I took an OTC nighttime pain reliever to sleep. This is not an every night thing, however. I also used aromatherapy with a little Vicks Vaporub and did my square breathing.
Remember to sleep in a cool, dark room. Limit your screen time before bed. That is what the experts say.
Exercise has been royally screwed up this week because two of my rides had other obligations. Back into the groove tomorrow. In the meantime I had my husband take the Beastie Baby and me to the beach for our walk.
A good dose of nature is good for what ails you. Gently running water is great for providing a little dose of tranquility.
I admit, attention hog that my husband says I am (and I am. I love positive regard), I did have a few other mood boosters. My third job boss is coming half way to pick me up and take me up there. They have work for me. I may be pitiful but knowing I am wanted means a lot.
Then it turns out I did not do as abysmally in the photo contest as I thought I had. Out of three entries I had a second and an honorable mention! Yippee!!!!
To make matters better, my life-long friend the artist had three paintings in the associated art contest. She earned two firsts and a second! Taking photos of her paintings with their ribbons and hearing her reaction was the most fun of all! I “made (her) day!” , which was awesome.
Doing for others really does help you get over yourself.
Time to get ready for work. I will get to reading that article about increasing visual span this evening. Who knows? Might help.