Time to Get Back Into My Routine for the Morning

Last week was a rough week and my morning routine was just all sorts of interrupted and messed up. I'll spare you the gory details, but it was not a week where finishing my routine was really an option - at all. So, I took it easy on myself and just didn't do the routine - any of it! I tried for the first three days of the week, but the last two were really sick days, so I didn't even try. As a result, I am currently getting ready to re-establish my morning routine.

So far, I have gone over my social media accounts, fed and medicated the cat, taken my medication, and now I am sitting down to blog. I have already taken an hour out of my morning to do these things, and I'm feeling behind. I know I'm not behind, but that's the feeling that I have.

Time to focus on the routine. Get specific things done and have some time for creative expression as well. I have to put together a bunch of materials for a project that one of my interns is finishing pretty soon, and I also have a bunch of questions to answer for a music therapy colleague of mine. In addition, I have two proposals to put together, and a continuing need to sleep and sleep and sleep. I also have a passion project to put together and mail out into the world of music therapy. I have plenty to do to keep myself engaged...and, I'm back to feeling like I just do not have the time to do any of it well.

This is erroneous thinking, and I am sure that it is affected by the viruses and infections that I am recovering from at the moment. I am feeling stress at levels that I haven't felt for quite some time, and this is indicating to me that I have too much on my plate.

Time to engage in some self-reflection and self-care.

So, if you search "psychological effects of influenza," you get LOTS of information. Here's one post that I particularly liked - it just seemed to reinforce all of what I am feeling right now as things that are elevated and amplified by my recent virus. These comments are helping my current mood of feeling overwhelmed and very exhausted. These may be side effects of what my body flora is doing at the moment.

Isn't it nice to find things on the internet that reinforce your beliefs about something? Ah, the lure of news - fake and otherwise!!

ANYWAY (very sarcastic in tone, that previous sentence...), it is helpful to know that viruses and infections affect the brain and how I (and not just me!!) respond to the world around me. I mean, I know all of that - that's part of my knowledge of the human body and all the systems that happen - but it is important to remind myself of that fact when I am in the midst of incidents and episodes.

Now, I'll spend some of my time wondering if the feelings of being over stressed last week caused my virus outbreak or if the feelings were caused by the virus. There's a chicken-egg debate for you. Who knows. I know that the thoughts and the symptoms of the virus started about the same time and increased in intensity together. That makes me think that the latter is a more accurate statement.

The issue that I have right now is that I am not releasing the stress feelings. My body seems to be symptom free from the other parts of the virus, but my mind is still stuck in hyper-response and stress mode.

So, it is time to get into a routine, find the things that help me acknowledge my feelings, emotions, and thoughts, figure out what to do with those same feelings, emotions, and thoughts, and move forward. I'll be tracking this in my bullet journal so I have a record, and then I'll be able to see if there are any patterns emerging.

My morning routine includes this time for self-reflection, a bit of exercise time (I'm going to do this!), a bit of creative time, and some food. Ah, food - something I haven't really enjoyed for quite some time. I actually feel very hungry today. That is a good thing. I will also take a lunch into work rather than just grazing on crackers. I will get to work, handle whatever crises have happened (that is all that really seems to happen at work these days - crises), and get into my work routine. I have tons of notes to write for last week, including snow day documentation for all of my residents and therapist illness notes for Thursday. Uh-oh, my stress levels are increasing. Time to step away from those thoughts.

Okay. Morning routine.

Blogging - done.
Social media - done.
Water for work - in progress.
Cat medication - done.
My medication - done.
Getting things ready to take to work - in progress.
Upcoming events - exercise, food, and creative expression...

See you tomorrow!