I'm Too Tired to Write This Post...

Have you ever been so exhausted that you can’t seem to function? You read your emails and none of it registers? You leave your cell phone in the refrigerator and don’t remember doing it? Your body feels like it weighs a ton and you have to drag it around? You just want to sit and do nothing because you don’t have the energy to do anything else?

Today is one of those days…and I worked out this morning in spite of being extremely tired. Now I'm really exhausted. 

Let me preface – my husband and I had a busy weekend, cleaning out a property for sale that needed to be vacated by yesterday. It was a mad dash to clean out every nook and cranny. Fortunately, we had the help of the people who had been living there so it progressed nicely, but everyone was exhausted.

I cannot even imagine how tired my husband must be feeling today. This was his schedule for the past week – up early in the morning (he is normally a night owl who sleeps from approximately 4am to noon), working all day, clearing out this house of 19 years of stuff, having the emotional devastation of discovering important documents and sentimental valuables have been destroyed by termites and rats in the garage, not eating enough, and to top it off, the night before the last day of packing, having a bad fall that resulted in what is most likely cracked ribs. He needs to sleep for a few days. Or a month.

So my point with today’s post is this: Listen to your body. I am finally back into a regular workout routine and wanted to stick with that, in spite of my body begging me to take a break today and resume tomorrow. Now I can barely function. In my husband's case, was rushing and slipped and fell as a result.

If you don’t listen to these messages, you will get a whisper (exhaustion). If you still don’t listen, you will get a tap on the shoulder (body breaks down and gets sick). If you are still not listening, a brick wall will fall on you to get your attention (injury severe enough to physically make you stop and rest). None of us wants the brick wall, but often, that’s what happens when we don’t listen to and honor the requests made by our bodies.

Let me give you another example – last summer I was dealing with some extremely stressful family issues. It was causing me constant, ongoing anxiety, I wasn’t sleeping well, I was reaching for the Kahlua every night to relax and help me cope, and I wasn’t eating well. I became extremely fatigued. I was out of it for a week with severe exhaustion, so I rested, but the stress and anxiety were still there.

Then I got sick – another week shot. I finally got back on track, continued to deal with the situation as best I could and manage my stress, although the anxiety was still there. I visited a friend whose three-year-old had a runny nose and BAM – I was laid out sick for almost a month. My immune system was shot.

Still doing my best to maintain my daily activities, I was a bit better but then shortly after, I got food poisoning. Laid out for two days. *Sigh* Not feeling great about the example I’m setting for my clients :/ How often do I preach to everyone, “You have to take care of yourself and let your body rest!” Although, I do tell people to just do your best, and at the time, that was my best.

But apparently, I still wasn’t getting the message because a week later, the day before Thanksgiving, I had plans that I really wanted to postpone because I was tired, had so much to do and just wasn’t really up for it. But I went anyway. And I fell. Hard, on my butt. I wound up spraining my sacrum. It was the most painful thing I ever experienced. And I finally got the message…”STOP ALREADY! REST! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!!” That was my brick wall. So I made a point of resting and doing as little as possible during the holidays. I didn’t have much choice, anyway, with an injured back.

And during that time, I got some great inspired ideas and actually decided to take my business in a new direction, which I have spent this year implementing. Which further proves my belief that quiet time is essential to our well-being at all times, regardless of what is going on…or not.

Now I take my time, manage my stress and nip things in the bud so they don’t get out of hand and cause anxiety. I've learned to be a non-reactive observer in most circumstances, and I make sure I have time to rest – often – even if it feels like I’m not getting enough done. Ironically, the more I take care of myself (i.e. take breaks to meditate, relax, read a magazine, have lunch with a friend…) the more productive I am.

So please take care of yourself, listen to your body, give yourself quiet time every day and stop when you are tired or stressed. Believe me, you do not want the brick wall. Everything flows better when you make your well-being a priority.

And now, I am getting off the computer and going out to my hammock to relax.

Have a great day!

With love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
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