Getting Overtired – Stress Trigger

Last week I was edgy. I had that open nerve feeling again… Things my son said hurt me more than they would normally, his attitude and action really getting on my nerves.

After dealing with as much of it as I could, I hid myself away in the bedroom. I lay down for a while and silently cried. Then it dawned on me… I’m tired. I’m wore out, exhausted and every sensation has been magnified a thousand times over.

I’ll admit, I do like to sleep. I use taking a nap or going to bed early as an escape. An escape from teenage angst, of a cluttered house I can’t manage to keep tidy, to escape the laundry piling up over the top of the hamper although I swear I just did 3 loads yesterday!

But with as much as I sleep, I rarely feel well rested. This past week even less so with the added exercise I’ve started to do.

I’m trying to find ways to rest, recuperate, even if I’m not able to take a nap (and honestly, trying to cut out much of time “sleep to escape” habit)

• Resting in a hot bubble bath is top of the list at the moment!
• When the weather warms up I’ll spend time lounging in my hammock, watching birds and clouds.
• Massage – the local massage academy offers 1 hour massage for $34.00.
• Painting. I tend to forget about how relaxing painting can be until I’m working on a piece and I have to stop because I’m getting drowsy. Or maybe I need to paint more energetically!
• Reading – a good laugh out loud book like something by Christopher Moore or Jenny “The Bloggess” Lawson’s “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” as soon as it comes out in April. I don’t know for certain if Jenny’s book will be laugh out loud, but from reading her blog & tweets, I’m pretty sure it will be!
• Walking – even a short trip around the block does wonders for a negative attitude.

I’m trying to avoid mindless ‘empty’ activities such as watching TV or playing video games.