Of course you’re exhausted, you do a million things.
Here is your validation and your permission to say that you are exhausted. Not just tired, but down to your bones and into your spirit exhausted. The kind of tired that you feel in every part of your body. Maybe today was no different than yesterday, but today you feel it just a bit more? No you probably didn’t sleep well, yes your mattress probably is uncomfortable, and yes you did take your vitamins (the ones that are supposed to boost immunity and energy).
Now that I have validated your experience, it is time for you to validate, own and take action. Our noisy internal voices tell us that we have no right to say we are tired or that we didn’t work hard enough to feel exhausted. Those same voices convince us that mental fatigue is not real or the physical symptoms you feel will just go away. Why do we have such a difficult time acknowledging and giving ourselves permission to be tired, like we didn’t EARN it?
This week, I encourage you to take one day and chart your activities in 30 minute increments. Seeing what you do and how much you do down on paper can change your perspective in hopes of validating your external experience. In reality you may be doing more or less than you think, but the data will give you real information. After you have charted your time ask yourself:
What could I do more of, what should I change, and where can I incorporate rest.
I look at my time log and I can see 2 instances in which I am eating while doing other things. I would like to eat my food and take the time to taste it, that is a self care goal of mine. I didn’t even eat my pancakes with a fork, I tore off bits and shoved them in my mouth with my fingers like a savage. Nobody is perfect.
| 7:00AM | Woke up and fed my dog |
| 7:30AM | Got ready for today’s therapy sessions |
| 8:00AM | Checked on GPA; got his dog ready for groomers |
| 8:30AM | Drove to office |
| 9:00AM | Started writing this article |
| 9:30-12:30 | Therapy sessions |
| 12:30PM | Note writing |
| 1:00PM | Driving to pick up Gpa’s dog |
| 1:30-2:30PM | Dropping off Gpa’s dog, stripped sheets, sorted laundry |
| 2:30PM | Holding my tot as she naps; Watched the Office |
| 3:00PM | Snack for Tot;lunch for me; cleaning kitchen |
| 3:30PM | Watching Vamperina; cleaning floors |
| 4:00PM | Expense tracking |
| 4:30PM | Making pancakes |
| 5:00PM | Back to Gpa’s; making bed |
| 5:30PM | Eating pancakes and putting away clean dishes |
| 6:00PM | Playing with tot |
| 7:00PM | Bath time |
| 7:30PM | Cleaning up after play time |
| 8:00PM | Watching Zootopia |
| 8:30PM | Fighting with now feverish tot to take medicine and go to sleep |
| 9:00PM | Still fighting… |
| 9:30PM | Still fighting… |
| 10:00PM | Back to Gpa’s to make sure he got to bed ok |
| 10:30PM | Dozed off while watching The Office |
The take away:
If you are exhausted then that is what you are, you need to figure out how to get some rest and incorporate more self-care into your day.
You can’t incorporate self-care if you do not know how you are spending your time to begin with. So take a day and track how you spend your time in 30 minute increments.
It is not okay to continue to operate overly exhausted or fatigued in hopes that “one day” things will get better. Live in the reality of today. And today you are depleted. Take steps towards fixing today, tomorrow will come with its own set of challenges and hopefully rewards.
