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?

Sometimes, especially in the winter or when I’m sick (check, check), it’s easy to feel pretty grouchy. These are some things I’ve incorporated into my daily routine that have really changed my general mood most days, including winter sick days:

Each night…
1. Tell myself to have sweet dreams and that the next day will be a good day.

2. Tidy up for 10-15 minutes before bed. It feels much better to wake up to dishes done, the table cleared, and lunches packed. It also feels good to go to bed knowing these things have been done.

3. Keep a gratitude journal. In January, Chad gave me a really nice diary with a block of space for each day. I split each page in two: on one side I write down my To Do’s (breaking a giant list into everyday, doable tasks has also been a huge stress-reliever that’s made me more productive), and on the other side I write down at least three things I am grateful for or that made me happy that day. Sometimes it’s even just that I got to wear some cute earrings because it was the weekend (I can’t wear them at work), or that the weather was nice that day. At first I felt like I was really reaching to get three things on my list each day, but once I got myself into the habit, it became hard to stop at three most days! Now, throughout the entire day I find myself seeking out things that make me feel good that I can write down later, instead of focusing on the negative things that happen. And, after nearly two months of keeping it faithfully, I had this extremely joyful moment flipping through the journal and thinking, “Wow, I am so lucky I have so much to be thankful for!” I was actually overwhelmed by the abundance of thankful, happy things that had happened each day.

Every morning…
4. When I wake up, I never leave the room without kissing my husband if I’m up first. The same goes before bed–he always gets a goodnight kiss. I think even the littlest moments count, and I feel so loved and loving because of things like that. I don’t even remember when we started giving good morning/night kisses (maybe we always have?), but now I can’t imagine not doing it!

5. Take time for breakfast, coffee and a shower, even on weekdays. You might say, “Well, of course!” to all of that–especially the shower!–but I mean that I try my best to ensure I have a proper amount of time in the morning to have a shower, and then coffee and breakfast with Chad, talking with him and occasionally listening to the news, before racing out the door to see how much I can get done for the day. Believe me, it’s not always easy. I hate the mornings, but that slow, easy-going wake-up time with my husband makes a huge impact on the rest of my day.

I’m still not feeling better today, but I can say that the 5 things listed above helped my day nevertheless.

Here are some things I’m grateful for today:

• I could watch girly movies to distract myself from being sick (Blue Valentine and Pitch Perfect).

Ryan didn’t play the nicest character in Blue Valentine, but somehow I got over it.

• I made cornbread successfully for the first time! And it looked like the result was smiling at me.

• It’s the weekend! And I get to spend (most of) it with my best friend.

Here he is in Thailand, being all cool and handsome, as usual.

So, what kind of things do you do to improve your mood each day?