Regaining nocturnal normalcy.

Clearly Pickle the Kitten has no problem relaxing.

I am exhausted! Last night I was asleep at 9 p.m.! What the what?!

After months of living a largely nocturnal existence of watching TV until 3 or 4 a.m., I’ve found my world turned upside down!* Clearly the main reason this is happening is because I have a job again, and am keeping normal hours.  But the other big reason is a major reduction in stress. Many of the things that plagued me over the last 12 months have been resolved and my life has slowed to a relatively normal place again. The hamster wheel in my head is no longer spinning into a blur and keeping me awake with dread.

It’s a nice feeling.

I still feel a certain melancholy—12 months ago this was not the life I thought I would be living—but it’s more of a calm contemplative state. It’s the kind of thing that allowed me to actually get 8 hours of sleep last night!**

I never thought I’d be so boring I’d be excited about sleep.

The one part of the routine I’m still working out is the gym. My new job wants me in the office earlier than most of my other jobs, so I’m still trying to figure out the right timing so I can hit the gym before work. I haven’t quite perfected that yet, which means I’ve been working out in the evening instead. I prefer the morning because a workout really gets me revved up and ready for the day. It just puts me in a positive mood, and I like bringing that optimistic halo into the office with me. I’ll get it figured out though.

Don’t worry, I haven’t lost all my edge. But I've sure learned to appreciate not being on edge all the time.


*Actually, it wasn’t so much nocturnal as it was not marked by any kind of routine. I was still up early in the morning, going to the gym, and staying busy throughout the day. I simply just wasn’t sleeping much at all.

**Altogether. I do still find myself waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. pretty frequently and watch TV for an hour to lull myself back to sleep. Yes, I know that’s not the healthiest habit, and I’m trying to wean myself off it, but for now it does the trick.