Tag: stress

Crash Bam Boom

Briana HansenLeave a comment

Last weekend I had a rare Saturday free. I was planning on doing a bunch of things, but didn’t really have anything specific on the docket. So instead of being my normal, hyperproductive self… I crashed.

I even took a picture as proof. crash

That’s me face down on top of a clothes pile on my bed holding a beer.

I would like to point at that at least the floor around me was relatively tidy. Pretty proud of that.

Basically my day went like this: Sleep in until 11:30ish. Meditate. Putz around the apartment. Eat. Workout. Do dishes. Put clothes away. Go for a walk. Meditate again. Eat again. Another walk for a snack. Some staring at the computer screen. Some texts convincing people I was too busy to go out. Some more putzing. Do required writing for class tomorrow. Bed.

That’s it.

And- even though I didn’t yet have my Matthew McConaughey-style-motivation, I’m still pretty proud of that day. It was needed. It was the first time in weeks I exhaled. It was the first day I did whatever I wanted and barely talked to anyone around me. It was a me-day. And it felt good.

I had a lot of stresses- personal, financial, and career-oriented- over the past couple months. I just kept plowing through them without taking time to relax. And last Saturday, I finally just let myself relax.

And even though I wasn’t productive, I set myself up for a much more well-rested, energetic, and productive rest of the week. I think I need these crashes every once in a while.

 

Break’s Over

Briana Hansen1 Comment

scheduleI got busy. Reeeeeeeeally busy. I tend to stay busy anyway (as you can see from a quick perusing of my website… I like to produce lots of content). In the past couple weeks, I became even busier for various reasons. Which is fine by me. It feels good to be challenged.

And last week was one of the most challenging weeks I’ve had in a long while. I was getting very little sleep and had very limited time to get done a number of projects. I slept probably 12 hours all week. And on top of it, had some things go down Sunday that made it difficult to relax during the little sleep time I did have.

I didn’t exercise. I let it go for over a week. That’s the longest I’ve gone in a couple years. It didn’t feel great because I like to be balanced. But truth be told, I didn’t even have time to worry about it. The little bit of sleep I could get during the down times was the one and only priority I had. I just watched what I ate (which is easy when you’re already stressed and feeling down) and accepted the fact that everything is cyclical. I kept telling myself just make it a little it further.

And this morning I finally got back to it. I didn’t have time to make it to the gym, but I did some basic exercises in my apartment. And it felt good. I got some sweat on my skin and endorphins in the brain.

As long as you’re actively seeking balance- and recognize that it’s ok when it doesn’t happen- you can recover from and get through anything.

 

Episode 57: Stress! – Show Notes

Briana HansenLeave a comment

stressThe latest episode of Femoir: The Podcast is all about STRESS, guys. Spoiler alert: It sucks. And serves you in no positive way. In fact, it’s really harmful!

I tell stories of my own stresses. I talk about Chicago. I mention meditation.

Not much to report otherwise! Let me know what you think, friends!

You can always subscribe and get all these episodes for free on iTunes!

Pent up energy

Briana HansenLeave a comment

I’m giving myself a little rest right now. I was headed to the gym this morning but my foot started screaming at me. I decided to take it easy. For once. UUUUGHHHH.

The problem isn’t just that my over-achiever-ness wants to go everything always including pushing my body to the limit. Or that I continue to eat as if I’ve worked out hard at the gym that day. The problem is mainly that at the end of the day, when I go to bed, I have all this pent up energy from not exercising.

I know people would kill to have more energy throughout the day, so maybe this seems like a silly thing to complain about. But I don’t have the energy throughout the day. I have it late at night. And it prevents me from getting a good night’s sleep. Which prevents me from being able to wake up easily in the wee hours of the morning. Which prevents me from getting everything I want to do done. Which usually means I can’t make it to the gym because that’s the first thing on the to do list that typically goes. Well, maybe the second. I don’t do dishes, then I don’t go to the gym.

IT’S A VICIOUS CYCLE.

And to top it off, my foot troubles are giving me even more excuse to give myself a little rest. But my body is wondering why there is so much leftover energy every night. Body needs to talk to foot so we can work all these things out.

Then again, I’m going through some stuff in the personal world, so maybe it’s just stress that’s keeping me up. Maybe a little meditation, reflection and perspective will help me sleep better.

NAH. I’LL JUST BLAME MY FOOT.