These days I feel like a slug. A sluggish, sluggy slug slug. All of the energy I put into being perky and energetic at work leaves me slapping my face in the car with the windows rolled down and the music blasting to stay awake on my way home.

Other reasons for being exhausted:

1. Not sleeping enough– Working at different times in the morning leads to my waking up from as early as 3:00 am, to as late as 8 am. It’s hard to set a sleeping schedule when I definitely don’t want to plan for the 3 AM wake-ups every day (so that I can stay up past 8pm the night before!). On the bright side, I am very fortunate to be getting am shifts for the most part, so that I can spend the evenings with my awesome husband.

2. Not exercising enough–When I come home and feel like melting into a pass-out puddle, it is hard to get moving. Luckily, Chad encourages me no matter how grumpy I may get. He got me out for a bike ride while he ran last week, and also got me out for a very painful 5K (during the most part of which I complained the entire time) a few days after that. (What an amazing guy he is for putting up with me!) He knows that I feel a hundred percent better after exercising, and he wants me to be healthy. It can be so hard to remember that exercise will ultimately leave you feeling more energetic no matter how tired you are initially. 

We saw pretty cattails when we went out for our bike ride/run last week.

3. Eating too many pastries–Starbucks launched a new line of pastries called La Boulange, and it is our job as partners to sample everything so we can describe it to customers. There are “healthier” options like the spinach croissant (which is fabulous, by the way), but even that one clocks in at over 300 calories. Phew. I have been trying to only try small bites, and give the rest to Chad, but will do better from the next time I work. I know that what I put into my body plays a huge role in my energy levels!

4. Not having a routine–in addition to having different wake-up times every day, it can be exhausting not having a set schedule every week. Chad and I miss some of the routines we had in Japan–both of us with Monday through Friday workweeks, set gym/workout days (Chad with judo, futsal, and Aussie Rules), morning and evening routines (like having breakfast and dinner together, nighttime reading/movie watching with tea, etc.), and weekends bumbling around the city or traveling. I know we’ll establish some sort of routine here, but getting to that point can be awful tiring!

5. Not taking time to relax–I haven’t felt like writing, reading, blogging, creating…anything! I know that not having a creative outlet just leads to further exhaustion.

Boats and lily pads

Luckily, I’ve got the next four days off to rest and relax. Today is Chad’s birthday–we started off with Chipped Beef on Toast for breakfast and will be ending it with going to Wheatland Music Festival for the next few days! Hopefully it will be just what I need, and I’ll be back blogging more often again when we get back. I have other plans to meet a close friend for dinner who I haven’t seen in ages, and to finish off some more of my Summer Fun Bucket List as we head into fall!

What do you do to relieve exhaustion? Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?