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Does Being Off Schedule Affect You? How I ‘Fixed’ My Mood

July 16, 2010 · 5 comments

in Health & Fitness

I had been in kind of a funk lately, and for no apparent reason. The worse I felt, the angrier I got at myself because my life is actually pretty darn good.

So I analyzed my situation.

What I realized was that I was ‘off’ in many areas of my life.

For one, it is summer, so that means my life has lost all sense of routine.   I love routine.  I am still like a little baby that likes to wake up at a certain time, eat at a certain time, and go to sleep at a certain time.  Now, my kids are up way later than they usually are, and anything goes. Well, not anything.  They still have to follow basic rules, but they stay up later and sleep in longer.  That plan does not work for me. I have accepted that my 16 year old will be staying up later than me and I just crawl off to bed when I need to.

Next, I thought about my eating habits.  Between recent birthdays and baking binges, I have been eating my unfair share of brownies (always accompanied by milk) and other treats.   Whereas brownies are delicious, they don’t necessary make for the most sensible breakfast.  (I didn’t have brownies for breakfast everyday, just when they really beckoned me.  Remember, there was the big glass of milk too…)  Besides brownies, I had been eating out a bit more because frankly, I was crabby and didn’t feel up to preparing a giant meal.

I then looked around the house, and saw disarray.  I saw how clutter was affecting my mood.  I just didn’t really want to be home because I knew the stack of paper on the coffee table would be greeting me when I walked in the door.

Finally, I thought about the last time I had exercised.  It had been awhile because I was sick.  I know that the longer I sit, the worse I feel.  It reminded me of being on bed rest when I was pregnant.  The more I laid on the couch, the more tired I became.  I had no energy whatsoever.  I think that awful summer cold caught me in a somewhat sedentary cycle.

Well no more!  I went and fixed my problems.   There are no more brownies in the house (because I ate the last one).  I now wake up nice and early everyday and get things started immediately, including a healthy breakfast.  Lastly, I have been walking at least 2 miles each morning.  I get all of this done before my kids even roll out of bed in the morning, so the day is then free to do whatever we want, without the worry about what is waiting to be done at home.  As far as the stack of papers on the coffee table- well I do still have a couple bills to pay.  After that, my ‘fixing’ will be complete.  I will say that I do feel much better.  (As a side note, I am not being all Tom Cruise and saying a few simple changes can fix serious depression.  My situation was more ‘being bummed’ than depression, therefore, it was much easier to fix.)

Have you ever found yourself feeling kinda blah and found a way to get through it?   What made you feel bad?   What was your key to success?

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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

S July 16, 2010 at 7:18 am

Thanks for the reminders…. I have been going through exactly the same thing. I guess misery loves company because there is something comforting about reading this and thinking I’m not the only one caught in this routine.

It’s nice to be able to sleep in since it’s summer but it also puts me in a bad mood and throws off the whole day and starts a vicious cycle like the one you just described. I am currently wading through clutter myself and I know I will feel much better when I find the floor or tables under the mess (and wipe the sticky off them).

Let me know if you need a walking partner… early am walking is what I like to do too, and I’m trying to remotivate myself (the homemade ice cream that I’m now wearing on my hips should be motivation enough though).

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D July 16, 2010 at 9:09 am

I’m there with you, too, almost to the last detail. Hoping to get my butt in gear soon. The sleeping in is great for awhile but it does throw you off. Glad you got your routine back. I’ll be working on mine soon!

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Susan July 16, 2010 at 11:47 am

I am in this funk too! I have struggled with an injury which has prevented me from my normal running program for over 2 months now and it is amazing how it will bring me down. We also were fostering a newborn baby for the past 3 weeks, who now was removed from our home to be placed closer to his siblings, which was a complete shock and are now grieving this loss. Talk about FUNK! We are to start a 2 week vacation next week to Yellowstone and other beautiful places, so I am praying for God to restore me, heal my heart and bring me back whole. Routine….amazing how comforting it can be!

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Budgeting in the Fun Stuff July 16, 2010 at 1:53 pm

I get into funks like this pretty regularly…thankfully I get out of them pretty fast too. I do think that a routine helps. So does being productive. During my biggest funks, I ended up doing the biggest things to get out. That’s how I got into volunteering for the HSPCA 4 years ago, how I got into fostering Pugs for Pughearts in 2009, and how I motivated myself to start my blog. Big funks mean I have to do something major to feel useful again.

Actually, come to think of it, I haven’t really been in a funk since I started BFS in February. We’ve been too busy for me to get funktified…

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Money Reasons July 17, 2010 at 9:34 am

Occasionally, I get in funks like that too!

My funks last weeks, then in short bursts of time I figure out (or realize) what the problem and solutions are for me… Once I figure our th eproblem and have the energy, I go into serious overdrive and fix all the buildup that has drifted or sat way too long.

If I could lose 30 to 50 pounds, I’d be in great shape and have much more energy. I joined BFS’s weight challenge, but I’ve had a few birthdays too, so I haven’t really started yet. This week I will though.

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