Whilst we’re all banging on about New Year’s Resolutions, it seems like the perfect opportunity to make a promise to myself. Not a resolution you understand, because I never make them – they inflict too much pressure. But I need to make a promise to myself this year that I get more sleep.
Burning the candle at both ends
I am the first to admit that last year, I was awful. If anyone burnt the candle at both ends then it was me. Obviously, having a child means I am up early most days, but then I wasn’t going to bed until really late either (and I mean really late!) and it really did take its toll on me, physically and mentally.
Why was this happening? Several reasons really. I was working hard on the blog. Really hard. I was cramming in the hours’ way after the husband had started snoring and then on the nights where I gave myself some time off, I would stay up late and make sure that I caught up on the other things I wanted to do, like read my book or catch up on my favourite television programmes. I knew I would feel awful the next morning but I still saw hours on the clock that I really shouldn’t.
Time for a break
It wasn’t until December that I realised that it couldn’t go on this way. I became really, really tired. Exhausted is probably a better description. Not only was I tired but I was grumpy too. No one likes being grumpy and no one likes living with someone who is grumpy. I didn’t like who I was becoming.
I had deadlines pretty much every day in the run-up to Christmas and I had to hit them, there was no way I couldn’t. So, I ploughed on through it and it was during this time that I decided to take a Christmas blog break. I needed some time for me. I needed a rest. I needed to put myself first, I needed to get more sleep and that’s just what I did.
I got more sleep!
It was the best thing I could have done. I honestly didn’t open my beloved laptop for over a week. I’ll be honest, I didn’t even want to. I knew that what I was doing was doing me the world of good and my family saw a change in me instantly. I had taken the stress away from my life and was enjoying family life again.
I am never going to be the sort of person that’s tucked up in bed by 10 pm, despite having an extremely comfortable bed, I am a natural born night owl, and this will never change, but I certainly wasn’t seeing 2 am anymore! (I know, I know, what was I thinking?!)
So, I knew that I needed to get some order in my life. I needed to set myself a routine and stick to it. I need to make sure that I continue to get more sleep than I was getting last year, for my own health, state of mind and for my boys.
A new routine
So, I have set myself a schedule that consists of me working on my blog four nights a week. I know what I’ve got to write and when I’m going to write it and I have it all in my calendars so I know exactly what I’m doing each night. I feel so much better already and I’m only a week in. I know there will times when I have to mix it up a bit and this is fine, but I also know I need to stick to the structure as much as possible, otherwise, I will end up back to square one again.
I’m lucky that I don’t struggle to sleep these days. When I’m really tired, my head only has to hit the pillow and I can be out like a light. I did go through a stage last year where the complete opposite happened, but I think that may have been because I was too tired. These days I’m fortunate enough to nod off quite easily and I swear it’s down to my new schedule. I’m more organised and less stressed, and that can only be a good thing, right?
Have you ever been in a similar situation? Do you get enough or do you need to get more sleep? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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