Shutting down...physically AND mentally
As mentioned in Monday's post, I'm gearing up for my next speaking engagement on January 28th in Fort Wayne, IN. The details are set - flight, hotel, car - and my presentation is just about there. Over the past week, I was working like mad to finish it up - first, because I've learned that procrastination doesn't lend itself to stress-free, disease-free living, and two, because my au pair started her two-week vacation earlier this week, and my free time is, well, no longer free.
I did my best to pace myself, and I'm happy to say no sleep was sacrificed in the preparation of my presentation. I didn't pull any late nights, and I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to work on it. I set aside time during the day when Paola could help with the girls, starting when I intended and stopping when it was time. I even held myself to the stipulation that I'd work only 30 minutes after the girls went to bed for their naps. This continues to be the hardest thing for me to adhere to - but I'm proud to say that there wasn't a single day when I was still pounding away at my computer past 2:30pm, the official start of my nap.
So while I can proudly proclaim that my computer was off and I was in bed for the start of my nap, I can't say the same for my mind. I may have physically shut off access to my presentation, but mentally, the ideas were still flowing. It was practically impossible to stop my brain from organizing the thoughts in my head - mapping out slide after slide of how the presentation would go. Good news is that I realized after just a day or two that I simply can't work right up until my nap. I need to disengage and disconnect (literally) about 30 minutes before trying to rest. It's just the way it goes. I've blogged about this before - but it's been awhile since I've experienced it first-hand. The lupus lessons just keep coming, don't they?
I did my best to pace myself, and I'm happy to say no sleep was sacrificed in the preparation of my presentation. I didn't pull any late nights, and I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to work on it. I set aside time during the day when Paola could help with the girls, starting when I intended and stopping when it was time. I even held myself to the stipulation that I'd work only 30 minutes after the girls went to bed for their naps. This continues to be the hardest thing for me to adhere to - but I'm proud to say that there wasn't a single day when I was still pounding away at my computer past 2:30pm, the official start of my nap.
So while I can proudly proclaim that my computer was off and I was in bed for the start of my nap, I can't say the same for my mind. I may have physically shut off access to my presentation, but mentally, the ideas were still flowing. It was practically impossible to stop my brain from organizing the thoughts in my head - mapping out slide after slide of how the presentation would go. Good news is that I realized after just a day or two that I simply can't work right up until my nap. I need to disengage and disconnect (literally) about 30 minutes before trying to rest. It's just the way it goes. I've blogged about this before - but it's been awhile since I've experienced it first-hand. The lupus lessons just keep coming, don't they?
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