I’m going to try to take advantage of the jet lag throwing everything out of whack and shift to being (drumroll) “a morning person.”
I have a theory that people who rise early have more discipline – I don’t know if it’s a chicken v. egg thing or what; but either way, it’s worth a try. I’ve also read that people who exercise in the morning are more consistent. Consistency isn’t generally a problem for me in that area, but it’s harder here because of the varying schedule and early sunset (meaning I have to leave for a run by about 4:30 in order to feel safe).
There are other advantages for getting up early: 5:30 am is 10:30 pm in Virginia and 9:30 in Arkansas – so there’s Skyping potential. I’m hoping I can get all my thought-thinking and Bible reading and that kind of stuff done and start the day with clarity and focus.
Also, I’m getting flak for not socializing in the evenings (joking flak, but maybe with a hint of “what’s wrong with that girl?” underlying it). So far it’s been from jet lag, but last time I remember bowing out of probably 50% of the evening social stuff because I was just drained from so much project-based interaction and people-overload during the day. I’m a very social introvert (meaning, if I have something specific to talk or joke about, I get really obnoxious and don’t shut up) and I think that disguises the overall introvertedness – so when I suddenly retreat to my room because I can’t hear myself think it comes across as antisocial. I’m workin’ on it. Also, I can’t compartmentalize without a lot of effort – so when something’s on my mind I just want to get somewhere where I don’t have to command my facial features to take a posture they aren’t naturally feeling up to right then. Hopefully by getting some of that thinking done in the mornings, I can be more social in the evenings. A couple of issues that have taken a lot of mental attention seem to be resolving; and though I need to get better at putting thoughts away regardless of how troubling they are, this should markedly help with that.
Yesterday I forced myself to stay up all day (after not sleeping all night) except for a 1.5 hour nap, which seemed reasonable. Then I slept from about 8 pm to 4 am, off and on. I still have no appetite and I can’t force myself to eat, so I just had a couple of crackers yesterday. I think part of that is stress, but I’m sure getting back on a normal schedule will help with that too. Hopefully today’s the day.
It’s 6:00 now and I think I better just stay awake. Tuesdays are generally our busiest days, so I’m looking forward to finally getting in the swing of things. We’re going to Happy’s and I’ve heard that they’ve added an “autism room” since I left! That could mean any number of things – good or bad – so I can’t wait to see what it’s about.
It just stopped raining and the birds and other creatures are calling. My back has been great the past two days so I might try to go for a brief run. Or at least some stretching and sitting outside with a cup of coffee.
I’m going to attempt to limit my blogging to 2-3 times per week. It’s a great tool for getting thoughts out (and, this week, for killing those hours when I’m awake at weird times with nothing to do), but it takes a lot of focus and energy which I need to moderate better. Less thinking, more doing. 🙂
Happy whatever day of the week it is. Oh yeah, Tuesday – I just said that.
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