“Yes”… you read the title correctly… and “no” sleep is generally not considered a vice unless you use it to escape or hide from life.
But I have long since treated it as a vice. Lamenting the need to go to sleep as a disruption in my life. Some of you know me well or correspond with me often (and you night owls know who you are).
I’m at a new level of dedication with turning over a new leaf when it comes to getting sleep or at least rest; having gotten into bed before midnight three whopping nights in a row. (Yes that is an achievement for me… at least for now that is what I consider early.) This required me to allow the following:
- Some e-mails to sit unread until the next day.
- Some status updates to go unread.
- Letting my lumosity brain exercise go undone for a day.
- Stopping before “one more episode” of a Netflix binge.
- And generally deciding to set reasonable limits on my late night/early morning “goings on.”
As you can read… I’m not out late o’clock dancing or gallivanting. I’m typically spending time getting caught up on a project or leisure activities.
There is something about night time that makes me feel like there are no limits. But I must end my love affair with staying up late and begin to disassociate myself from this activity as a coveted aspect of self.
Like so many things that are difficult to change… I have to… like anyone else… let go of something I have long believed to be a natural or necessary part of me…even if it has not served me well.
Well this blog post is my farewell to my favorite vice. Staying up late to either “get things done” or to “just be.”
I’m not saying there won’t be some back sliding here or there. What I am saying is that it can no longer be the norm.
I am acknowledging that it is time to let go of what is no longer useful.
A couple of years ago, I let go of caffeine (in fact I used to blame it for my night owl ways); much to the shock of my friends and family. So much so, that it still comes up on occasion that I no longer order or buy caffeinated beverages, though I still have Coca-Cola bottle shaped drinking glasses in my kitchen (for water of course).
For health reasons over the past 5-6 years… based on the advice of integrative health professionals… hives and other inflammatory responses… I’ve stopped consuming
- wheat,
- dairy,
- soy,
- walnuts,
- shellfish,
- and most recently corn.
Don’t worry… I’m not starving!
Some of those were challenging to let go of, but I have come to appreciate a new normal and I’ve reaped the health benefits as well. Namely being able to breathe and eliminating the annual sinus infections I used to get as a result of thinking I was reacting to environmental allergens and not to food.
The time has come to cross that final frontier and do that thing that every toddler, young child, adolescent or stubborn adult (like me) must learn to do and “GO TO BED!” The world will be there when we/I wake up.
For all of you who just thought…what about the day that you don’t wake up?… I’ll cross that threshold when I get there…
Until then… what healthy choices have you been treating like a vice to be resisted?
- exercise?
- vegetables?
Let’s all of us helping professionals take our own encouraging words and advice. I’d love to hear what you need to embrace or let go of to be healthier, more productive or to improve your quality of life.
Copyright © 2015 Ruby Blow. All rights reserved.
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