Warning: low battery
Now that I'm part robot, I often wonder how great it would be if I could just plug myself in at night the way I do my prosthesis, wake up fully charged, and ready to take on the day.Since that device doesn't exist... yet, and carrying around this prosthesis requires 30% more energy than the average person uses to walk, I've had to get crafty to keep myself going. Since December of 2019, things have been different. To make it possible to effectively do my job at work, maintain this blog, and enjoy my time off, I do the following:
I know you're sick of hearing this but, DRINK MORE WATER. I think I've been dehydrated most of my life and didn't realize it was part of the reason I felt lethargic and had dry skin. If you are an amputee, you know that sweat is a serious problem. Research shows that when your limb is surgically removed, your remaining sweat glands work overtime. Unfortunately, I can vouch for this and have to replenish fluids regularly.
Go to bed early, who cares how lame it seems. Dealing with nerve pain which tends to feel more intense at night, and general exhaustion from work and life mean that when I get home, the PJ's go on right away and after dinner and two hours or so of Netflix, I'm in bed. There is no shame in my early sleep game. I listen to my body and my body wants rest.
Get out of the house, but don't feel obligated to go everywhere you're invited. I'm fully vaccinated now, as are many of my friends, so I've really enjoyed the occasional brunch or dinner date after a year and a half of mostly staying home. I'm not always feeling up for staying out late or being social though, and that's ok. If it's been a really long week, a bubble bath and TV binge will do more to charge me back up for the week to come than all-you-can-drink mimosas will. It's all about balance for me.
Shut it off after 5pm. I work in a stressful industry as a property manager and there isn't really a way around the stressful situations. Because I deal with anxiety, I have to make a conscious effort not to bring that stress home to mix with all the other things I have going on as a cancer survivor living with a disability. If I have to do work after hours, I have a hard and fast rule. Financial reports- no problem, catching up with emails- no problem, dealing with situations and people who trigger my anxiety and expect me to get back to them after hours and on weekends- absolutely not. Thankfully, I no longer live at the property I manage, but sometimes, residents think that I work 24 hours a day and demand they speak with me whenever they have an issue. Unless there is the kind of emergency I do not dare to speak into existence by using as an example here, I am OFF DUTY until Monday at 9:00am.
Disabled or not, you may find this list helpful in finding a way to refuel your body and mind to be ready for the week ahead. If all else fails, cuddles from a really sweet and fluffy emotional support animal usually do the trick ;)
