Thing One and Thing Two

There are two things I want to share with you.

Thing One: Ruby Shooz over at  A Piece of Peace has written this gorgeous post.  I found it so beautiful and so true that I printed it off and hung it above my desk. Thought you might enjoy it too.

Thing Two: Kendall left this comment on my other blog:

I just wrote on my blog about my new-born theory that migraine (the bane of my existence) might be a result of over-stimulation…and that led me to wonder if fibromyalgia, CFS, and similar difficulties might also be. I will stick with what I know, which is migraine, but I’d be very interested to have you check what I said on my blog (which is Kendall’s Quest) WHEN YOU HAVE TIME (no hurry!) and see if it resonates for you.

It’s a very interesting post, and I think that there is a lot to what she’s saying. After I read this, I thought about how much worse my fibro has gotten since I’ve been at work. I started pondering how the work itself isn’t stressful at all right now. They are being so good to me there. I’ve been given light work, I stay at a place that is peaceful and has wonderful energy, and I’m getting plenty of rest. Still, my body has been screaming, my exhaustion level is off the charts, and my brain’s been pretty foggy.

After reading Kendall’s post, I realized that what’s different is the amount of stimulation. I commute in rush hour traffic for almost two hours each day. Our office is full of noises, lights, technology, people, hustle and bustle, and although my work is not stressful, I push myself to get a lot done. What’s changed is the amount of stimulation, and I believe that what Kendall’s saying may be a factor here.

A couple of days ago, I was driving home in tears. I was hurting, mentally exhausted and semi-depressed, because when I’m feeling this way, I worry about how I’m going to get through all of this– not just this particular job, but earning a living in general. My supervisor had said earlier, “You’re pushing yourself too hard. You even have a doctor’s note that specifies that you should be working less hours than you have been. Why don’t you come in at eleven tomorrow?”

So yesterday, I did just that. I spent a leisurely morning drinking coffee on the patio of the person I’m staying with. I did my bird/ tree/ sky watching thing. I read a little. I took it very slowly. I slowly packed my things for my weekend return home. Then I went to work, and as soon as I started hurting, I told my boss that I was leaving. I wanted to get home before my pain overwhelmed me, and before the rush hour traffic commenced. I worked a grand total of four-and-a-half hours.

It made all the difference in the world. When I got home, I was tired, but not pummeled. I was not hurting at all. I slept well. And today, I feel pretty good.

Of course, I will never be able to do this type of thing in the “real world,” but this has given me a wonderful opportunity to experiment. I’m going to really start paying attention to overstimulation, how to pace myself, how to start noticing these sensory overloads to see if there’s a connection. I also have to get this balance thing down better.

I won’t be able to do the four-and-a-half hour work day regularly, but maybe I can on Fridays, so that my entire weekends aren’t spent recuperating.

Anyway, it’s definitely food for thought (which has no calories by the way). If anyone has noticed a similar link, I’d love to hear about it.