I recently got a new full time gig. After a while doing PRN and "as
needed" gigs, it is great to get back to life on a schedule! The
mechanics of the job are not really pertinent here, other than to say
that it is not near as active as my former position as a nursing aide.
I definitely don't walk around all day like I did as a substitute
teacher! I have always been something of a night owl, staying up until
a little after midnight and getting up around 8 or 9 in the morning.
So, leaving the house around 7 every morning for training presented
something new. The job had 3 weeks of classroom training. It is not in
me to sit in a chair for 8 hours a day. Seemingly, the 3 weeks went by
pretty quickly. Now I am fully on the job. There is little movement. I
test computer chips and could do my entire job moving nothing but my
right hand.
Like I said certain challenges have presented themselves. The biggest
one is the inactivity. So, seeing everyone else slumped over in their
chairs I pushed mine aside. This way I have better posture and use a
little bit of core strength throughout the night. Now that training is
over, I work from 10pm-830am. Since they only give us half an hour for
lunch, packing my lunch has become something more of a priority. And a
success. I have also noticed that as I am more conscious of what I
pack for lunch, I am also more conscious about what I eat at other
meals. This was was explained to me as "noncontradictory behavior,"
when you take steps to improve one area of your life, without
realizing it you take similar steps in other areas of your life. This
also helps when i begin to think that I need an energy drink or a soda
to help get me through the night! There are some nights though, that
those "cans of cancer" seem to be calling out to me!
Sleep seems to be an especially big challenge here! I won't stress the
importance of adequate rest here- let's save that for another entry!
But, since my body is yet to adapt to the new schedule, sleep has
eluded me. There have been days that I have had to take aides such as
melatonin or Tylenol PM to even get a couple hours. Not really sure
why I have had so much problem sleeping during the day. The other big
change is that I have to completely rearrange my schedule. It used to
be that my workouts energized me for the day- however the time that I
wake up is now the only time I can do anything with my kids. They
definitely energize me. So, my workouts are changing to, to the last
thing I do before going to sleep. My supplements are also changing . I
am still looking for a good preworkout without stimulants.
This new job has definietly reworked every area of my life. But, like
all experiences, it has taught me more about myself- like 10 hours
with no music makes me go crazy! And planning out my meals is
essiential to my survival in this new lifestyle. Fianlly, I must live
intentionally! Getting my workout in, spending time with my kids,
everything I do in life has to be on purpose on according to plan!
This may seem simple, but nothing will happen with just hopes, wishes,
and dreams!
