Wednesday Self Care

I haven’t been sleeping well.

That’s news only because I normally sleep very well, even on the nights when my spouse’s snoring wakes me up a couple of times. (Also, I’m pretty sure my snoring has woken him up more than once, too.)

Who knows what’s going on with my sleep? It could be the Canadian wildfires and the bad air they’re sending south. I feel for my friends in NYC and the Northeast. It could be some kind of anxiety surfacing. It might even be that I’m getting more exercise than usual and it’s throwing my body off its usual clock.

It’s the thought of the latter that inspires today’s post. Sometimes a method of self care upsets another part of life, even another part of self care. If, for example, you decide to change up your diet, food preparation might take up time that you normally would spend sleeping, or relaxing, or doing a brain-boosting puzzle. Choosing to meet a friend for coffee each week might give you joy, but make your schedule more rushed due to school pick ups or traffic patterns.

Everything we choose affects everything else. (I’m certainly fixated on choices this week, aren’t I?) I think I referenced an article (that I can’t find!) a couple of weeks ago about a person who tried, at least for a day, to do every single healthy thing recommended by experts — and they failed. We can’t do every single healthy thing that’s recommended. We have to make choices that work for us as individuals.

So today, one of my choices will be to take a nap. I might even take my energy-sucking garage cleaning down a notch and do some gentle yoga instead. Perhaps tonight I’ll sleep better.

May you be well, may you be happy, may you be safe, may you be at peace.