It’s one o’clock on Sunday afternoon, and I am kicking off the day much later than I wanted to, which always puts me in a foul mood. I’m the kind of gal who wants to wake up with the sun, get a jump on the day and get started on knocking out that to-do list. Unfortunately, I am also the kind of gal who suffers from bouts of insomnia, which makes waking up with the sun pretty damned difficult at times. I had to deal with insomnia last night, so now I’m groggy and running late and I hate that with a passion.
What I hate even more though is being in the aforementioned foul mood. I don’t like feeling cranky and whiny and angsty. It’s a very physical feeling for me, one that knots up my guts and hangs over my head, further ruining my bad day. So for today’s contentments, I want to look at how I can get back to my usual cynical-but-sunny self. Here are a few ideas.
Exercise. Physical activity does help. It gets me moving and helps me shake off the grogginess that comes from a bad night of sleep. Plus when I complete a workout, I feel like I accomplished something. I took care of me, worked to burn off a bit of fat, made myself stronger, etc. In other words, I did something that made me feel like less of a slug.
Hot tea. I love tea, especially with milk and sugar. I can recall in those first few months after Princess was born, when I walked around in a hateful sleep-deprived fog, the best moments I enjoyed where the ones where I sat at the dining room table in my jammies and bath robe, sipping a hot cup of tea while Princess vibrated away in her battery-powered bouncy chair. Tea is soothing, hot tea perks me up, and of course there’s that little bit of caffeine and sugar that gives me a quick, if artificial, boost. So a cup or two of tea is an instant mood lifter.
Work. I’m talking some minor task here, not one of my major projects that requires gargantuan efforts on my part. Accomplishing something small, like getting this blog post done, makes me feel like I’ve knocked off at least something on my to-do list. And you know I am all about the to-do list. The more small things I can get done, the shorter that list gets and the better I feel.
Go outside. Science has shown that sunlight, along with exercise, is an instant mood lifter. It certainly helps me wake up, because hey, it’s daylight! My body responds to daylight by waking up, just like it responds to night time by sleeping (in theory; humor me and just ignore the whole insomnia thing for a moment). So if I can get outside, even if it’s just to sit and tap away at the netbook, that will help.
Hot shower. This is right up there with a hot cup of tea. Hot water, one of those little perks of civilization, makes all the difference to my mood. Cold water kills my mood though, so I always try to be careful about not running a shower at the same time I’m doing the laundry or washing the dishes.
So those are my mood lifters today. So far I’ve already done the exercise and the hot tea. I’m going to try to get outside for a bit, though I don’t know when since I do have that to-do list to knock out first. Maybe by this evening, I’ll be able to get out for a walk.
In the mean time, if anybody has any ideas for how to handle the insomnia? That’d be muchly appreciated!
I know whereof you speak. I actually am much more of a slug, but I managed to actually do something I don’t usually manage to get totally done today. So those little senses of victory are decidedly important mood lifters.
Exercise should happen more often, really. It’s so needed.
Kes,
I did manage to get a few things completed today, in spite of my late start and the insomnia hangover, so now as I’m closing down for the day, I’m definitely feeling better. Yes, the small victories make a huge difference. I try to build some into every day by breaking down the big projects, so that I don’t feel so overwhelmed.
Glad you had a good day!