So, this is my life right now. The meds on the left are my son's and the meds on the right are my puppy's. I believe I have earned an honorary medical degree for the amount of meds I have learned about and dispensed in the last 6 weeks. My son has struggled with a sinus infection, bronchitis and on-going asthma. My puppy has had three ear infections, a skin infection, a respiratory infection and sniffed a small lego which caused yellow snot to come out of his nose for 3 weeks straight. And oh ...he just got neutered on Monday and a day later I called the vet to ask her if by chance she forgot to take one of his balls off because there it was...hanging there. Apparently, she didn't forget a testicle, but what we described was his scrotum filling up with blood. So he's on watch until it gets absorbed into his body. Good times!
School has been missed, clients have been cancelled, I've been on the phone with doctors and insurance companies for up to 90 minutes at a time... and the work has piled up. But perhaps most potentially crushing to my spirits and well being (besides watching them suffer of course) is the disrupted sleep I have encountered over the last several weeks tending to my sick child and puppy.
For me, sleep is one of my top priorities. Without it I am unkind.
We all have that one thing we need when life gets hard that we need to keep us going. I've heard some people say they need their environment to be orderly to feel more in control, so they clean. In times of stress one of my best friends always throws a party. She loves being surrounded by friends and family. Many of my clients ramp up the exercise to decrease their stress level. Me? Definitely sleep. I don't care if I eat chips for dinner, don't exercise or have 51 loads of laundry. As long as I have adequate sleep I can deal with the crisis at hand and still be pleasant about it.
During this current crisis I have eaten complete junk, exercised today for the first time in weeks and nobody in my house has a clean pair of underwear. But I am sleeping as much as I possibly can. I am still being kind and a good care taker to those who need me. I am calm and balanced and know I can get through this with grace and humor.
How about you? What is your thing? What do you need to do in order to get though difficult time..and still be kind, balanced and calm?
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Great post, rang true for me on sleep and helps me with a talk I have....to tell the mamas you said ONE THING we all have the one thing. That is true. AND SIMPLE. Thanks. Enjoying your posts. Especially the earlier one on being too busy with soccer but valuing it. I’m anxious I’ll become over scheduled mama....my girls are 2 & 4! LOL. We under-schedule now, thankyouverymuch.
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