Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Living Life, without Sleep

It all seemed perfect. I put the kids to bed, turned on a fan, and snuggled in against my husband ( and I am not usually a snuggler!). it seemed like a perfect night of sleep was before me. And then. My seven -year-old came in. My husband had already gotten up and headed for the couch (which he does at times), so there should have been plenty of room. And yet, after this 1:30 a.m. awakening I simply could not fall back asleep. My mind had gotten stuck on the service learning project my fourth grade son is supposed to be executing for his one-day-a-week gifted education program. My son, who would much rather just play with magnets and batteries, isn't going to take the initiative. This project and getting it going is on me.
As I lay there and thought about how I could get this accomplished, I found that I simply wasn't falling back asleep. Now it's 4:30, and I have given up, gotten up, and started my day.

As you know, a sleepless or at least very sleep-deprived night can lead to some pretty unpleasant achiness throughout the body.
 I have a meeting scheduled with a parent so calling out isn't an option. I started looking online for tips on handling a sleepless night. My first search led me to several beauty tips on how to look like you slept well. Listen. I don't need that. I want my coworkers to see my face, read my pain, and pity me. I don't know about you, but I get emotional when sleep-deprived. However, if possible, I want to feel as good as I can.
I found this little article, Didn't Sleep Much Last Night?:10 Ways to Function Today,  by Murray Newlands, on Entrepreneur.com and it has some great tips on feeling better.

Using this article as a guide, I have created my action plan.

 1.Alternate cups of coffee with glasses of waterat least at home.
I am heavy coffee drinker, but I need a little more pure H2O in my life.

2. Take Ibuprofen. My body aches when I don't sleep well, particularly my neck, shoulders, and upper back. No reason to deal with that.

3. Listen to a Simple Habit podcast on waking up. Today I plan to listen to "Rise and Greet the Day."

4. Use positive affirmations and tell myself, I am rested and ready for the day.

5. Finally, I intend to make it a point to reach out and greet each person I meet. I have an introverted tendency to withdraw, especially under stress, however, a smile and a kind words should give me a little kick to keep going.

How about you? Do you have any tricks to share for getting through a sleepy day unscathed?

No comments:

Post a Comment