Day 327 Intention ~ Follow Through With Plans

Day 327 Intention ~ Follow Through With Plans

Ugh. Stayed up til 4 a.m. celebrating my husband's birthday. What was I thinking?!?! 

Still had to get up and do all of my responsibilities today. 

Banking, teach class, deal with my car issue, walk the dog, and now I am off to a benefit. 

Almost there...it's snowing and cold outside. We just got the 3rd season of Treme, disc 1 in the mail from Netflix. My husband is planted on the couch in his recovery spot. Yes, I would like to just stay here and doze off to the sounds of New Orleans. 

BUT ~ in my more mature 40's, I really am trying to do what I say I am going to do. And that means, go to this benefit right now. Then, I can rest. 

Follow through is a good intention for me as I used to just blow things off if I didn't feel like it. This not only made me miss out on some cool experiences, but sometimes put other people out. I try not to behave that way anymore. 

So, til tomorrow (when I am better rested)...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 195 Intention ~ Sleep Tight

Day 195 Intention ~ Sleep Tight

Sounds simple I'm sure, but being on the road in strange beds without my husband makes for funny abnormal sleep. Jen & I worked our butts off in the heat & drove a lot and it just takes it out of a person. One short leg to go before we get home. But for now, I am going to drift off to sleep so ththat I am not zombie-like for my husband tomorrow when I see him. 

Til tomorrow.. 

Shanti,

Marcia 

Day 169 Intention ~ Let It Pass

Day 169 Intention ~ Let It Pass

I have been so spacey and tired the last couple of days. Maybe it's the summer sun, maybe it's not. Working a lot I'm sure is part of it, but it's not like my days are full on 8 straight hours with a 30 minute lunch break, but I have been working every single day. 

I usually go to bed 30 minutes to an hour before my husband, so I can read & well, just plain get a little quiet time as I drift off into dreamland. The past few days, John has been coming upstairs with mean and turning the t.v. on. This usually completely ruins my ability to fall asleep, but not the past few days. My head hits the pillow and I am out. 

In the mornings, I want to keep hitting the snooze button and continue sleeping. It's not as if I am not getting enough sleep, I get 7-8 hours a night...at least. 

So, I am not sure what this sluggishness is the past few days, or this spaciness, or just plain laziness, but for now, I am going to let it go and hopefully it'll pass. If not, then I will worry a little. 

For now, where's that rajas when I need it?!?! 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 115 Intention ~ Go To Bed Early

Day 115 Intention ~ Go to bed early. 

This week has been back to hectic hours and up & down Cleveland weather. All I feel is run down. Trying to get different jobs & tasks done and then getting up at 5 a.m. one day & 6 a.m. the next just leave me tired and feeling like a cold is coming on. Going to bed later than I should doesn't help. So tonight, I am on lock down for sleep. 

Sleep is so important health-wise. It is your chance to revitalize and rest. It helps your mind clear and just plain makes the next day so much better. When we are overtired, we tend to start finding substitutes for sleep to help keep us up like sugar or too much caffeine, things that can leave us feeling jittery or crashing in an hour. We also tend to crave junk food over healthier options, so bad choices start. 

Not enough sleep also leaves us run down and our immunity systems become weaker, leaving us prone to more illness. 

So tonight, I will sleep. I went to a Max Strom workshop last fall and he discussed things that prevent people from sleeping...besides the obvious sugar/caffeine culprits, he mentioned looking at "blue" screens before bed...yup, television, computers, even smartphones. He suggested shutting them down a few hours before planning to go to sleep and see if you don't just sleep a little bit better tonight. 

He also suggested reading something inspiring and positive before bed to help keep stress away. Of course, breathing exercises and legs up the wall pose help too! 

So, that is my plan. I wish you all a happy, healthy evening & lots of restful sleep. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 94 Intention ~ Keep Plugging Away...

Day 94 Intention ~ Keep plugging away...and breathing.

From about 3 a.m. on this morning I kept waking up just about every 5 to 10 minutes. I had gotten to bed a little later than normal and had to get up at 6 a.m. 

With 4 classes and an article due tomorrow that I won't have any time to finish tomorrow, I knew today was going to be a busy day. I guess that's why I kept waking up...I guess. 

But, rather than allow stress to take over, I just kept plugging away with my less than stellar sleep and with my breath. So far so good. Three classes down and the article shaping up, I am feeling pretty good about things. Usually when I stress and freak out about things, they only get worse. Breathing and letting it happen as it will, and just continuing to work has let it all fall into place. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti,

Marcia

Day 70 Intention ~ Stay Cool Under Pressure

Day 70 Intention ~ Stay Cool Under Pressure

Working a deadline and trying to get everything else together for classes in the evening can make me start to feel the pressure some days. Today, I refuse to let it effect me. 

My goal is to keep it cool. Keep breathing and know that it'll all come together if I just keep plugging away. This way of reacting to pressure is much nicer on not only my psyche, but on those around me. Stressing out about things you can't control is not worth it. So just breathe through it and let the cards unfold as they may. Have faith that things will fall into place however the universe means for them to fall. 

This isn't always easy & I know that if you've been reading these entries all year, you know that I can blow my top and stress out, but I am learning. Keep the faith. It's much better for you physically too. When we are stressed out our body tightens up (for me it's the shoulders), we may lose some sleep and then it can become emotional and reactionary. 

Try to keep breathing, get exercise, meditate, sleep, eat healthy and we'll all be okay. 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia

Day 35 Intention ~ Stay Strong

Day 35 Intention ~ Stay Strong

These days, we all have several things on our plates. Whether it's working 2 jobs, volunteering, taking care of kids and a household, and all of the other chores and responsibilities that are part of our everyday life. And, just as life goes, sometimes we are just busier than other times. Or, perhaps we're not actually busier, but we just seem to have less energy for all of our activities than we have had on other days. 

Just remember to stay strong, this feeling will pass. But, if for some reason it continues for days or weeks...or even longer, it's time to look at some habits. Are you working out? Are you eating healthy foods? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you taking time for yourself for pleasure? Regardless of how busy you are, if you don't take time to go to a yoga class, the gym or take a walk, meditate, eat right and sleep enough, you will feel run down. You may even make yourself sick. Having some down time to enjoy life with your spouse or see friends or maybe just watch a movie by yourself are so important in helping us feel more balanced and less ragged to work on all of our, well...work. 

Life is best lived in a balanced way. It will be much more pleasurable for not only you, but for everyone in your life and those you come in contact with each day. 

Stay strong my friends! 

Til tomorrow...

Shanti, 

Marcia