Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The blues


Today was a hard day. Since my last prenantal appointment I had to up my blood pressure medication, and it’s bringing me down – as in, it makes me feel down. It’s a common side effect, apparently, but a feeling I am not very familiar with, frankly, and as a very practical, down to earth, no need to ponder/better to take action – kind of person, I’m not sure how to handle it, because it’s interfering with the way I usually handle things.

I usually bounce out of bed in the morning and take care of whatever needs done – no matter how challenging physically or mentally; I’m full of energy and determination. I’m organized, plan well, and keep control. Hardships or bumps in the road, cranky or sick kids, mean people – nothing gets to me, and I usually have the endurance of a marathon runner!

Now, I wake up and stare at the ceiling, thinking about all the things that need to be done, and wishing I could go back to sleep. It’s very disturbing. I go through my day feeling slightly lethargic, and today when the boys strayed from their school work, something that would usually send me off immediately chasing them down and getting them right back on track, I didn’t get up, but actually welcomed the silence around me.

This is one of the busiest times of the year, and I can’t afford – time wise, inspiration wise, and energy wise – to be feeling like this. I’ve spent the evening trying to come up with ideas to help me back on my feet: lists, snacks, outdoor exercise, etc. but I sure could use some ideas from you, dear reader, as well. 

So, please, what do you do to inspire yourself? Where do get your boost from when you need one?

4 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. What you describe is actually me right now. No medication issues, but I think I'm fighting something physically. I, like you, homeschool my children as well as doing contract work. This month I've been struggling to keep up with both. SO... what do I do? First of all, I try to listen to what my body is telling me. In your case, maybe you need to go to the doc and see if you can get a prescription change? My husband was on BP meds that were making him cough constantly. They just took him off that one and put him on another. There really are a lot of options around them, and surely there's a different one that will still work with pregnancy and maybe leave you feeling better? I can't help but think that the stress of fighting the fatigued feeling could be counter productive when it comes to your blood pressure!

    What I'm doing right now is making lists of what needs doing and slotting it into 15 minute chunks. You can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes. You can choose whether to do several '15s' in a row, or to do one and take a break, then do another. Just go with how you feel. I'm also not above bribing myself! HAHA "When this article is drafted, I'm going to have a cookie/watch that show/nap" It works quite well. In fact, as soon as I finish this I'm going to go set up my daily goals and get on task.

    My kids do very well with 15's, by the way. We use it when tidying the house etc. Can even set tasks and then roll a die to see who gets which one, or which one the family works on together for that 15 minutes. Makes it fun. I have also used it as a way to get them to do school tasks when they were resistant.

    The #1 thing is that you take care of yourself, your baby and your family. Be gentle with yourself. Sometimes we need to lower our expectations, too. As in, yes, the contract needs to be done, but if the kids have a couple of days off school (or lighter load), that's ok. The floors can be sticky for a bit. Meals can be simpler (my crock pot is my best friend!).

    I know we don't know eachother personally, but your blogs have been a gift to me. It's your authenticity here that draws me back over and over. You're an amazing woman, Jennifer! I'm sending you hugs from Canada. You will get through this. :)

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    1. Thank you, thank you! I am a very lucky blogger to have such a great reader, and I'm really soaking up all your advice. It means a lot to me!

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  2. Sorry to hear this, Jennifer! I have no advice to offer since I am getting old and forgetting all that busy working mom stuff, just genuine hope for you that all will be well. Take care of yourself and the baby; maybe put more responsibility on the older boys?

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    1. Thank you!!I tried to post a comment on your blog re. the pictures from Brussels but somehow it got lost. Wanted to tell you how "home-sick" they made me feel - we lived in Belgium for a long time and have been to most of the places in the pictures.

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