Monday was the first week of seminary. We woke up at 6:30 and I dropped off Sunshine at the carpool location at 6:50. Then I took Max to the trails park for a run. It was a good run, but I intentionally kept it short since I knew I wasn’t physically ready for a longer run, at least if I wanted to be functional the rest of the day. Afterwards I went home and showered before picking up Sunshine. The carpool spot is 3 minutes away, so it’s actually really convenient for us.
After we got home, I started everyone on schoolwork then had an online appointment with my sleep doc. We went over how I reacted to the meds, which isn’t how people usually react (of course), then discussed what to do going forward.
With the earlier start to my day we’re going to try a second dose of my current meds after lunch, though I’m going to wait a couple weeks to get used to the schedule and get the new meds out of my system to really see how I’m reacting to everything. if I’m really struggling in the afternoons, the second, smaller dose should help me get through them better. It’ll be a hassle to remember to take the second dose at the same time every day, but the benefit of doing so should be worth it.
Later I cut canvas for buckets and pockets to round out what I’m taking with me (the popular colors- I have buckets and pockets in the less popular colors already cut out) and cut more leather for the longer foraging straps. I pulled out leather for some campfire mug kits and key fobs, but didn’t have the energy to start cutting them. Instead, I laid down for awhile before getting dinner ready and taking Sunshine to Scouts.
I’m making an effort to get to sleep earlier, but it’s still a challenge, even knowing I have to get up early in the morning.
Tuesday I definitely didn’t feel great. I’d decided on Monday not to run Tuesday in the interest of not overdoing it, so after dropping off Sunshine I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t, so I just laid in bed and rested. Max was waiting for me when I went downstairs, hoping for another a run and disappointed when we left without her. After picking up Sunshine we had music lessons, I did the grocery shopping, I had an hour after I was done to rest, then we went to karate class. It was a busy day that left me exhausted.
Wednesday I had hoped to run, but it rained Tuesday evening, so the trails were too wet. I wasn’t feeling great anyway, I was still super tired, so it wasn’t that big a deal. I dropped Sunshine off then went back to bed till it was time to pick her up. Later we did schoolwork, I had my accountability call, I cut leather, and I oiled more foraging straps.
Thursday it was my turn to drive the carpool, so I brought my laptop and spent the time sorting through my inbox. I didn’t get nearly as far as I needed to- it’s still out of control. I had thought about getting some work done for my business, like writing an email or something, but my brain was not super functional that early in the morning.
I’ve noticed that while I’m getting up at 6:30am, I’m not really functional and alert till 8:30/9am. Hopefully the time difference will decrease as I adjust to the new schedule, but we’ll see. I’m anticipating several weeks for Sunshine and I to adjust to earlier bedtimes and earlier wakeup times. And I’m still getting the new meds out of my system, so that contributes to the not feeling great aspect of things.
Even with the struggle, the forced early wake up time is better for our schedule, which is part of why we’re having Sunshine do the in-person class this year (that and she needs the socialization since she would really rather just hibernate in her room for the next 5 years and never come out). It’s much easier to be consistent with everything else- run on the mornings I can, schoolwork when we get back, work in the afternoons, take evenings off, etc, when I get up at a consistent, early time.
That afternoon I cut more leather, sorted the last of the leather scraps, and prepped and organized all the materials for the various products I need to make. I’m ready to gear up for production- sewing, hardware installation, etc.
Friday I was so exhausted. I’m really struggling with the early wakeup time. I’m getting to sleep earlier, but still not early enough. I’m really glad we have a three day weekend because of Labor Day- Sunshine and I both need it to recover. She’s not getting to sleep as early as she should be either. I ended up laying in bed all morning, other than dropping her off and picking her up. I could tell I was more alert around 8:45/9, but I was still tired, so I just rested. As difficult as this early schedule is, it is allowing me to more closely track what’s going on with my meds, which will ultimately allow me to know what needs to be tweaked so I can be as functional as possible.
I did manage to get some production work done, including trimming the edges off the foraging straps:
Saturday I got a slow start since we all slept in, then spent most of the day messing around with Inkscape and my GlowForge, making acrylic jigs for several of my products. I’d design, adjust, check, re-adjust, etc for all of them. It’s time consuming since my design skills aren’t as precise as they need to be for this type of thing, but I eventually got it all worked out. While it was time consuming on this end of things, it will ultimately save me a lot of time during production. The jigs mostly eliminate having to measure each item individually to punch rivet holes and stitching holes in the right places, as well as where to place the logo that I burn in. Measuring takes a lot of time, so these will be a huge time-saver.
This week I realized it’s been just over a year since I hit burn out or whatever it was. A couple weeks ago I noticed I was finally feeling more creative, more motivated, more on top of things. A mental state that hasn’t been the case for the last year. I’m not sure what changed, but I’m glad to finally be coming out of the fog. For what it’s worth, I am quite sure it wasn’t depression. I’ve experienced depression before, and that’s not what was going on. It did result in some behaviors that are similar to depression, but that wasn’t the root cause.
Weekly Mileage
| Monday | 2.10 | 0.5 | |
| total | 2.10 miles | 0.5 hours | |
2022 totals
| 60.5 outside hours |
| 62.68 miles |
