Sunday, May 31, 2009

Health Problems and Getting Things Done

One of the biggest frustrations in my life these days is my bouts of illnesses that seem to come frequently and throw me off course. The most recent one had an odd silver lining. Due to a 6-day medication I needed to be on to deal with my asthma exacerbation with a bad cold/cough, I had a surprising, almost manic, burst of energy. This has not happened before on this medication. Usually the side effects are all rather unpleasant, but this energy burst - well, I took advantage of it. It happened to coincide with a week off work. I sorted, purged, organized, cleaned, got caught up on correspondence, gardened like a madwoman, made delightful plans. The medication finished, wore off, and I am back to my old self (underscore the word old!), and actually felt somewhat worse until tonight.

The frustrating thing was that I saw how efficient and productive I am capable of being. But where is that woman? Why can't she come out and play under normal circumstances? It was like getting a glimpse into a wonderful new world, but now it has gone away. The trick is to find a way to have that energy with natural means. Food, exercise, supplements? I've tried all of that. I haven't found the answer yet.

Ah well, I am enjoying my clean house, my planted garden, my sorted papers, my tidy sewing area, my much reduced things-to-do list, and so forth. Actually, this boost did help me greatly in just getting a foothold in my tasks and taking away feelings of being overwhelmed and completely disorganized. So thinking about new tasks is a little easier as I start a new week.

1 comment:

Lynn said...

Oh, how I sympathize! I am trying something new with my medication, but it was only for a week or so. Oh, how much I got done, how normal I felt for the first time in years! I wish I could feel that way all the time, instead of feeling lethargic like I do! All that motivation went out the window once I stopped.

So I completely understand what you mean. I'll enjoy looking at the things I got done and try to find a way to get more things done. It's hard not to feel overwhelmed sometimes, though, isn't it?!