It’s been a long week.
And it’s only Thursday.
I’ve been having a hard time sleeping, lately. A big part of it is allergies. Summer is knocking heads with fall and I’m seeing temperature fluctuations as large as 30 degrees between morning and nightfall. That sort of stuff plays hell with my sinuses.
Add to that, the usual stresses of life, and a few unusual stresses, and a few restless nights, and…well…there have been a few days this week where 5:30 Am came and sleep took a higher priority.
Yes, sleep is a priority. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t Writer’s Guilt and a bit of anxiety about missing out on writing time. It whispers to me when the lights are out and I’m trying to fall asleep: “You’re behind on your writing. You missed your – self-imposed – deadline of getting the August Challenge blog post up on Wednesday. You’re still behind on your writing. You’ve got two blog posts due this weekend. Have a good night, now.”
Which leads to a restless night, which makes it harder to wake up in the morning when I need to, which sparks more anxiety.
You get the picture.
Unfortunately, there is no “Magic Bullet” to fire that’ll take care of this mess. No shortcuts to getting back on track.
The only way out is through.
What am I doing to pull myself out of the spiral?
I’m doing a couple of things.
First, I am stubbornly maintaining that sleep is a priority. Everything hinges on that. I can’t write if I’m not physically or mentally there ~To~ write. You take care of your writing tools. Your health is the most important tool in your toolbox. Everything else is secondary.
Second, I am reminding myself that a spotty writing week is still only one week. Yes, I am reminding myself of that pretty often, but the writer’s guilt seems to not like that and it retreats. Take that, writer’s guilt!!
Third, I am continuing to do what I can, when I can. So, even though this hasn’t been the most productive of weeks, it has still been productive. Writer’s guilt hates it when I’m productive. Take that, again, writer’s guilt!!!
Fourth, the weekend is coming. That will be my window of opportunity to reset and get back on track. I’ll get some work done, then spend some time doing some things I enjoy. Little bit of gaming, a bit of Rugby (The 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup Final is happening this Saturday. Go Black Ferns!). If it doesn’t rain, I’ll mow the lawn (Yes, I enjoy mowing the lawn…don’t judge), reading. Stuff I enjoy and recharges me.
And sleep. No alarms, no nothing.
When 5:30 Monday morning comes, it had better be ready for me.
Because I’ll be ready for it.
Time: 7:45 Pm – ish
Music: None