According to my husband (the guy who majored in Math) I am sick at least one week out of the month. This is in addition to chronic pain caused by benign hyper mobility syndrome and recovering from a spinal fusion less than a year ago. When you are slow going to start with and easily tired out, you have to set life at a slower pace. This is something that I struggle with.
Also, when your month revolves around getting sick, being sick and getting better you have to make your routine in that ebb and flow. I find myself constantly moving through three stages:
-1. Prevention -2. Survival Mode -3. Recovery to Routine. This article is focused on Prevention.
Of course I don't want to be sick in the first place! I take my vitamins, eat healthily and try to stay up on my physical therapy routines, and get as much sleep as possible. I am even on a regime of apple cider vinegar. And we pray! I would love to see the end of this cycle of sickness!
Another detail my husband has noticed about my regular pattern of sickness is that I usually get sick after we have a busy week. Even if it is a week full of 'fun' activities. I have pretty low stamina and get tired, or exhausted easily. It seems that when I reach this overtired, exhausted phase I am most at risk of getting sick.
Here are a few ways I am trying to prevent getting overtired.
* Find out what my body perceives as stress versus what my mind recognizes as stress.
I have recently started trying to reduce 'stress' in my life. In order to do that I have had to step back and take a look at what my body perceives as stress. This is very different from what my mind thinks stress is.
I think for me, I often look at activities and ask the question--- Is God in this? Is this fun? Is this something that I want to be doing? Is it good for my kids? --- I somehow got into the habit of thinking--- well if it is 'good' then it isn't stressful. Too much business, visiting, activity, church events, etcetera does not add up to a good thing.
*Start with the basis of sleep and rest and create a schedule from there.
I have been starting with activities I want to do and revolving my day around them. I have been approaching our activities backwards. Activities are not the priorities. I need to ask the question--- How much rest do I need? How much time at home do I need? How much rest and home time do my husband and kids need? Once I come up with that answer I need to work backwards from there.
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| The girls enjoying some home time. Just hanging out! |
* Change my currency from hours in the day to energy for the day--- Instead of looking at things based on how much time something will take up--- The question is --- How much energy will this take out of me? Will I be able to come home and care for my family after participating? My problem, is that I don't usually like the answer to those questions. I want to be free to go out and do things! (Spending six months mostly in bed will make you a little stir crazy!) What I can handle well is so far below what I think I should be able to do.
For me, too much activity equates to a stressed-out body. I think this might be contributing to the amount of sickness I have been experiencing. When I make choices that leave me too sick and tired to care for my family it causes stress for them. This behavior is selfish when I think about it. Doing more than I can handle--- especially when it is optional is ridiculous! Keeping the house, making meals and keeping up with my kids is hard enough and not always possible. Adding extra curricular activities on top of it leaves me an empty shell of a Mamma and Wife.
So I am going through the painful process of cutting out the extras and learning to keep it simple. But I am excited to realize the joy set before me!
1 comment:
i feel ya on this topic. i get sick a lot, too. but, i just try to give myself some grace and not push myself. and its hard not to feel guilty when i am sick and it seems so often-- like wow im letting my husband down, my boss down, my child down - my church down... but really, i just need rest, or i'll get even sicker.
its like i remind myself, a. i have a chronic health problem; b. i work 50 hrs a week as a nurse; c. i have a 6 month old baby; d. there are constantly people, church members, youth & college age in my life b/c im a pastors wife; etc. etc.
i find if i start letting the basic stuff slip by like brushing my teeth, taking care of myself-thats like whoa huge red flag! if you're too tired to lift your toothbrush at the end of the day then you better slow down!
hopefully soon i hope i will be able to listen to my body even better so i can be more preventative and rest before i get to that point. id rather be consistently a good worker, mom, spouse, whatever, than have 3 good weeks of burning the cande at both ends followed by 2 weeks of complete zombie-ness.
Heidi
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