It’s true. Not all days can be “good” days.
I have taken a much needed respite this past week. I had a lot going on lately with getting the book off to the printer, starting my first Twin Cities Brain Injury Meetup, and trying to keep my businesses running (ie: pay the bills).
I do my very best to make sure I incorporate self-care into my daily routine, but sometimes I am so dang tired by the end of the day that I just don’t have the energy.
Which seems silly right?
Like, it should be important enough to “power through” it and get it done because I know it will help me. But I just can’t. If I have zero energy left, I literally have zero energy left.
I think that is what is SO hard for non brain injured folks to understand:
Our complete drainage of energy
Our apathy
Our inability to move forward once we hit our wall.
The average person can power through it and truck on until they get it done — us TBI’ers simply can’t.
Here’s my reality:
Sleep 8-10 hours (if i’m not suffering insomnia at the moment)
Wake up, make coffee, walk the dog
Work a few hours (if it’s a good day)
Nap 2-3 hours
Do a little more work
walk the dog, eat dinner
Go to bed.
On a good day, I can get about 4-5 hours of work done. On a really bad day, I may not be able to get out of bed — fortunately those days are far and few between for me now. But I do still struggle, and on those days I get maybe a few hours of work and that’s it. During the course of an entire day, I can only get 4-5 hours of work done!!
Now throw in cleaning the house, grocery shopping, and laundry — and I hit the wall even quicker!!
It’s painfully frustrating as a self-employed person. On the one hand I’m blessed with the fact I can choose to work when I want. On the other hand, there is no one else to do the work but me. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. There is no disability insurance for the self-employed (well, there is, but it’s crazy expensive).
I realize I am blessed with patient clients, and the ability to finally function at a level that I can work (which took almost two years to get to).
Living and working with an invisible injury has it’s challenges. I do the best I can, and wake up every morning hoping it will be a good day!!
My self-care routine includes:
Yoga
Meditation
Walking in the fresh air
Essential Oils
Functional Neurology exercises
PT exercises
Baths
What do YOU do to help yourself with self-care??