Well, I'm on day 24ish of teaching/prepping for my summer class. This means that I have worked a minimum of 5 hours every day for the past 24, with most weekdays topping 10-15. This also means that my brain is hitting a wall!
My new apartment is also a current source of drama for me. It faces a parking lot and I am woken up every morning at 1:30am, 2, 3, 4, 4:30, 5, 5:15, 5:30, 6, 6:15, 6:25...basically every time someone decides to lock their car via keyless entry, gets dropped off by a car with extremely loud music, or yells from the parking lot to someone's open window. Keep in mind that I am a very heavy sleeper and it takes a lot to wake me up! Let's just say the novelty of this apartment is wearing off and my patience is wearing thin! Usually I just grumble and end up getting up and being crabby the rest of the day. This is not helping my current work/brain situation. Oh and look! Someone is moving in now, meaning I have to shut all of my blinds or have 10 people stare through the windows at me working at my kitchen table all day.
I cannot be mentally happy when I can't have sunshine and fresh air in my house when it's gorgeous outside and I'm stuck inside working all weekend!
Okay, so enough complaining about my current living situation. Hopefully, I'll only be in this apartment a year, even if I can just move to a different apartment in the same complex. So - high point for me right now is knowing that I only have 7 more days of class! Yep, that's right, folks. Hopefully, one week from Thursday evening, I'll be free as a bird and can finally start enjoying summer and all the stuff that comes with it. I must admit, I see and hear about everyone's summer plans all the time and I'm very jealous. Jealously is also not good for my mental health!
I believe a lot of times we think of our health as only diet and exercise. Mental health is such a big thing though! If we are physically healthy but not mentally healthy, what's the point? So, I'm working on the mental health thing. I've become a much more positive person in the last year and I hope it shows. I'm happy with who I am, I'm much healthier (physically), I've accepted that I still have no clue what I want to do professionally, I have great opportunities coming my way, my family is great, and, let's face it, I've got it pretty good. Yes, I'm working my butt off right now, but it will pay off when I get the rest of July and part of August off to calm my brain down a bit and do all the stuff I feel like I'm missing out on right now.
I'm still committed to working out and was able to get up 3/4 teaching days last week at 5am to do a quick workout and I also worked out a little harder another day. This really helps me with mental clarity, energy levels, and overall happiness while I am at work. It also really makes me crash at the end of the week!
I've also really been focusing on what I have been eating. I'll admit that at the end of a very long day, I just want pasta or something very carby like that. I have been working towards a more moderate carb diet (NOT low-carb!). My body just does better when I don't eat a ton of rice pasta, rice, potatoes, rice/seed crackers, etc. every day. I also feel better. So, I am aiming for lots of protein to support my muscles that I work hard, lots of veggies, fruit, nuts, water, and a few sources of calcium.
I've also been trying to continue using a food journal. It's helpful to see exactly what I am eating everyday and where I may have strayed a bit. And, yes, eating this way and journaling makes me mentally healthy (not just because I'm feeding my brain well). I know that I have control over what I am eating and I am making good choices.
I promised myself that I would get up at 5am every morning this week to work out again and an hour off in the evening every night this week, just to relax and get my mind back on track. I'll let you know how it goes!
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