An unexpected Valentine’s weekend date learning all about curling!
Last week, my husband came into our room where I was enjoying a leisurely Saturday under the heating pad and said, “I have babysitting, want to try curling?!”
He was so excited in that moment and I knew he had seen the local curling club nearby was having an open house for folks to try it out.
So we impulsively spent an afternoon learning to launch the rock and sweep, which I admittedly let Mark do most of the work on, since I sweep enough at home, thank you very much!
We had a blast and it happened to be Valentine’s Day weekend so we considered that our date to celebrate. As we drove back home, exhausted but thrilled we did it, I began to think how lucky it was he caught me with this idea on a day I had a good amount of energy!
But had he come to me with this idea a few days earlier or a week later, I wouldn’t be able to go because my energy levels just wouldn't be there and I wouldn’t be able to spring out of bed like I did that afternoon.
For years, I considered myself cool for being one of those “go with the flow” types of people. But as I grew older and took on more of the planning role of the family, I realized structuring my days according to what was going on resulted in a lot less stress and last-minute hassle.
As it turns out, it was actually easier to go with the flow when I knew what to expect from the flow.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you may know that there are lots of times when the pain and discomfort from Adenomyosis drain me of my energy.
These are days I like to remind myself that Adenomyosis and period pain is only temporary and this is exactly the reason I make sure to build white space into my schedule and to-do lists. I never know what kind of energy level I’ll wake up with and I’m grateful for this flexibility.
“Adenomyosis (ad-uh-no-my-O-sis) occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrial tissue) grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. ... An enlarged uterus and painful, heavy periods can result.”
Gone are the weeks where I can just chug Diet Coke and keep going from sunrise to the late nights like I did in my 20s.
I still have days here and there when I’m staying up extra late to finish some client work or I’m rushing around with back-to-back appointments and errands. But I try to save those days for when my energy is high.
Luckily because of tracking my cycle and staying on top of my Adenomyosis symptoms, I’ve gotten pretty good at being able to look ahead at my schedule and plan for the amount of energy I’ll have.
By the way, it’s not just my uterine condition that can affect my energy. Sometimes it’s ADHD and having trouble with executive function and motivation, sometimes it’s general anxiety and being overwhelmed by the world, and sometimes it’s all of the above, plus general tiredness from being a parent on top of it.
For that unpredictability, it’s important for me to know my limits. I’ve learned the hard way not to push myself because burnout is not fun, and neither is the cleanup after.
One thing you learn quickly about burnout is if you’re not willing to give yourself the grace to get through it, it’ll last even longer. One of the best ways I’ve found to get through burnout is to lean into it. I saw a recent post suggesting treating mental health days just like you would a sick day. That’s usually how I treat Low Energy Days: lots of rest and self-care.
In fact, one of the best things I’ve done recently is to create lists of activities and tasks to get done depending on my energy level. That way when I’m making my daily to-do lists, I’m not scrambling to add more tasks to the list that I already know I won’t have the capacity for. I’ve learned I can’t just write something on a list and expect myself to do it like a robot, no matter how much I love the dopamine rush from checking something off.
But if I take just a little time to truly ask myself how I’m doing and what I need for the day, I can create a to-do list that’s beneficial for me, as a whole and not just my productivity.
No Energy Tasks:
Giving myself permission to rest
Self-Care
Hydration (give me all the fancy tea!)
Socializing online, parasocial relationships
Reading, writing, journaling
Low Energy Tasks:
Getting dressed in comfy clothes
Doing work in bed if possible to stay comfortable
Canceling plans that aren’t necessary and looking out for me
Light yoga and stretching
Going for a scenic drive
Mid- to High-Energy Tasks:
Spending time with the kids
Cooking
Cleaning
Errands
Working/Catching up on Work
Getting out in nature
Roller Skating, Dancing
These are just some examples and I definitely don’t include all of them at once. Could you imagine if I did that for those High-Energy days? No thanks! Not even if I had the energy of 24-year-old Emily again 😂
One thing I find helpful is having a weekly planning day where I pretty much set my schedule for the week. I do this Sunday nights and find this really helps since I can plan for the weeks of my period and ovulation so I can plan my workload accordingly. There will never be a perfectly planned out week since flares happen and recent family health surprises have been ongoing lately. But I know to expect that as well and haven’t taken on many extra projects in recent months.
But hopefully, as it warms up, the energy from seasons changing and the sun setting later and later will help with the current energy slump I’ve been in. I have noticed that my decluttering focus lately has boosted my mood a bit. I even thought about energy levels when I created the One-Task-a-Day Decluttering Game, if you haven’t checked it out yet 😉
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