I Needed A Break, My Quick Journey From Tired To Happy

Listening to my body and what it’s saying has been a game-changer for me.

Why Am I So Sleepy?

Hi…

So I took a few weeks off. Usually, I would tell myself that I’m being lazy. I need to hop back on the horse and get to it. I bet that you’ve said something similar to yourself at some point. Don’t worry, I see you, and you’re not alone.

If you’re reading this you probably realize that this isn’t going to be me telling you to get back to it. It’s going to be the opposite.

I just didn't have the energy. No matter how much I wanted to do things. No matter the encouragement or getting a couple of extra hours of sleep. I was TIRED.

If you're too tired to read the whole thing here's a shortcut to the summary but I promise it’s worth it

I’m not just alluding to work things either. I didn't wanna go out with my friends. I didn’t want to listen to music. I didn’t wanna cook, read, or do much of anything that usually makes me happy.

Alright body, clearly we need a minute. So what do we do about it?

I’m glad that you asked. Let’s get restorative!

What Fills Your Cup?

For me growing up I was seen as the lazy kid. I like to say that I’m very efficient with energy management but we can agree to disagree.

Jokes aside, I didn’t get rid of that “stigma” till college and maybe even well into my first job. Now you may be asking yourself what does this have to do with anything.

Bear with me.

Something that I think that I’ve always been good at since I was a child was making sure that I was working from a full cup. To go along with that I would diligently do what I needed to do when I needed to do it.

Now at 8 yrs old, I didn't know this. I just knew that I could play video games for 11 hours a day and I definitely couldn’t do that with homework.

Video games filled my cup.

Now, I want to be careful. Too much of a good thing can turn it bad.

I also want to say what fills my cup may not fill yours. That’s totally ok! You need to be here for yourself first and no one else.

I had to get straight A’s my entire life, get 2 degrees, a good job, for folks to still call me lazy just because I played a lot of video games.

I found something that made me happy. Brought me energy. And most importantly made me feel rested.

Find out what fills your cup!

This changed later in life. I still play video games and it still fills my cup but not as much.

This is something that I realized about myself, but have you about yourself?

I’m Still The Same Old Me! Or Am I?

Adulting is hard.

Before you judge me and my millennial ways of downplaying the world. I feel like people forget this and need to be reminded.

Being an adult is difficult.

No one is crazy.

Everyone is facing their current challenges without a tailored manual.

Everyone is doing the best that they can with what they’ve been presented.

Including you.

Now take a deep breath with me and let's lighten this back up, shall we?

Check-in with yourself and figure out who you are at the current moment. Sometimes we’re doing so much and we’re working so hard that we lose track of who we are.

You may need a hug, you may need a chat with a close friend.

You’re working hard to make it through life. P.S. I’m proud of you for it.

Sometimes we need to slow down and take it all in. Get in touch with your playful side!

I recently was asked what I did for fun and found out I was the most boring person in the world.

I didn't think that I had hobbies. The key word is think. I took for granted all of the things that I did because I lost track of myself outside of work.

I had to think about it.

I love cooking! I love making cocktails and learning mixology! I love playing video games! I’ve picked up DJing, rock climbing, listening to music, and going to concerts!

All of these things have the potential to fill my cup in different ways. Some new some old. Some found when I was 3 (not the cocktails I promise). Some were found a month ago.

Think about what fills your cup and remember to be kind to yourself.

So… How Do I Go From Tired To Happy?

Alright, we’ve talked about being ok with being tired. How do we get back to rested?

• Think about why you might be tired! — Identifying the source of what’s making you tired can help you throttle back on that thing and help you fill up your tank a little faster.
• Find what fills your cup! — The easy thing to do is tell yourself that you need a nap. The better way to potentially go about this is to make sure you’re putting time into activities that help you feel like yourself. You might still need the nap 😅.
• Do what’s best for you! — What makes you feel rested may not make someone else feel rested. Be selfish. Do this for you. Don’t do this for anyone else. If it’s restorative to you and good for your health, do it.
• Remember that life isn’t easy, it’s ok to let your guard down. — Life isn’t easy. Doing everything on your own isn’t necessary. Admitting you need rest is ok! Admitting that you need help is ok. Life is going to be filled with peaks and valleys. Try and elongate the peaks and keep the valleys short. When you’re in a valley it’s ok to embrace it and take care of yourself to get back to your next peak.
• Find your passions! Rekindle with your playful side! — Take your time off to find what you’re passionate about. Maybe you just need a reminder. Find things that are fun for you and that destress you.
• Be more playful! — We don’t need to be so serious all the time. Find your inner child again!
• Slow Down, Look up! — It can be so easy to move at a million miles an hour. We’re all busy. We have things we want in life and we want them now. Sometimes it’s good to slow down and look up. At the clouds, at the stars, at the skyscrapers. Pause for a minute and take it all in.

Ok! I’ve talked enough for one article. I hope you got as much out of reading this as I did writing it.

I hope that you enjoyed this article! If you did please hold down the applause button as long as you can 👏🏽 (Really! Hold it! 😉)! Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts! Share with a friend or colleague! If you’d like to hear more from me please follow! Finally, please buy me a beer to keep me motivated! It all means the world to me! Cheers!

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