Simple living in the country - back to basics

EssexHebridean

At least you finally have a conclusion to your side of the granite saga - which must in itself be a HUGE relief! 

Have a nice tea with your friend! 

MovingForwards

Well done Mr C banking the cheque and getting ice cream.
Hope the shovelling isn't too draining and the chooks appreciate it.
Good luck with the application, set yourself some time aside to chip away at it.

Elisheba

Good luck with the application! They are always such a chore to fill in that it becomes a massive effort to get them done 

Cheery_Daff

Thank you all! 😊

Urgh, I slept badly again last night 🙄 Probably not worse than most people but I am so used to sleeping well, I've been spoilt for many years 😂😂 Wide awake at 5 (not wanting to get up though!), and at 6 I'd just got comfy when Mr Cheery woke and asked me to turn over because I was breathing heavily 🙄 I ended up on the sofa, slept a bit more but don't feel particularly rested!

Still, those chickens won't let themselves out, and I think I'm going to drag myself to the gym - I've only been once this month so far and I REALLY want to get into the habit of exercising more - I KNOW it will help me sleep better, be calmer, and hopefully eventually lost a bit of weight (and perhaps even stop 'breathing heavily'... 🙄😂)

Work at home today, got a couple of other things that need doing either in breaks or tonight

* hang washing up
* make some cous cous for lunches for the rest of the week
* change sheets

Also want to have a bit of a sort out of the bedroom. I've been ignoring it because we're shifting rooms eventually, but that keeps getting put off. There's a load of stuff on the windowsill by my side, which is getting all dusty (and I wouldn't put it past there being condensation/mould in there, the window doesn't open). Also I dropped the phone charger right under the bed the other day, and the cobwebs and dust!!! 😱😱😱 And I want to turn the mattress end to end as well. Maybe all those things will help with sleep hygiene (and actual hygiene!!) a bit too 🙄🙈.

Oh, and I need to contact the house insurance people at some point to change the payment card as they've got the old one that got hacked and cancelled. 

Right - chickens, gym, shower, breakfast, start work by 9am 

(😂😂😂 kidding - it'll likely be nearer 10, but I've put off the gym so much it feels important to go anyway)

Suffolk_lass

Re sleep, a simple option if you are changing your bedding, is to try popping a sprig or two of rosemary in with the pillow slips you are going to put on the bed, or folded into the top of the sheet/duvet cover as it is known to lower blood-pressure, slow heart rate and improve sleep. There are various sources that recommend this and personally I prefer a sprig or two in preference to lavender scented laundry detergent or the sprinkling of essential oils (too strong). Of course you already know about your room being a calm clear space with no work stuff in there.

Cheery_Daff

Well it's not got any work stuff in, but it's definitely not calm and clear at the minute while we're in chaos moving between bedrooms 🙄😂 but it's been like that for 2 years so I can't imagine that's started making a difference now! Will try some rosemary.

EssexHebridean

On the activity thing - I recall that you once told me that you enjoy thinking of yourself as "an active person" - I've always remembered that and would apply it to myself now too - it feels good that "active" is part of who I am, and that helps with motivation. (So thank you - you did that! ) Can you reframe things to begin to think of yourself like that again and see if reverse engineering it helps? I've also found that a MASSIVE help for me is putting workout clothes ready to get straight into on days I want to do something active first thing - I travel to work in leggings and a breathable top now plus a cycling-friendly fleece (zipped pockets!) as I know I'm more likely to get the bike out of the boot when we arrive in London that way. Similarly on a Friday I leave my gym clothes on the chair ready to put on when I get dressed. If putting that stuff on is my default it becomes easier to just go and do whatever activity I've got in my head rather than put it off. The biggest thing for me though without question has been finding movement I actually love - sure, running and cycling is hard work sometimes, (well, most times actually!)  but the feeling when you get back is so often brilliant it makes me want to go out and do it all over again! As for strength work - I love the challenge of pitting myself against my past achievements, and seeing the small improvements. Sometimes it really is small too - I managed one extra rep on the seated lateral raise last night and felt like I'd won Britain's Strongest woman!)  

I hear you on the sleep thing - I fear it's something that comes to get us all at a certain point in life as I too used to sleep like the proverbial log (I slept right through the 1987 hurricane, and we all know how THAT went in the South East!) and certainly don't any more. Not found anything that particularly helps (albeit I have switched to decaffeinated tea in the afternoon/evening and that might have improved things a little) but I do think things have improved a bit since - bizarrely - I managed to convince myself just to not worry about it so much. we see so much these days telling us that sleep is all important it's hardly surprising if there's a great aura of stress around it - not exactly sleep inducing! 

(Psst - your bullet points in your post a couple above - I read "hang washing up"  and thought "do what to the washing up?!" - this is reminiscent of reading one of Relieved Sheffield's lists as "vacuum the dog" and "walk the house" a while ago... )

joedenise

I agree @EssexHebridean - I too used to sleep like a log and slept through the 1987 hurricane - I also live in the South East!  However for the last few years I don't think I've slept right through the night for about 5 years and always have to get up to go to the loo at least once and sometimes twice in the night and I've stopped drinking tea too late into the evening but that doesn't seem to make any difference either.

Cheery_Daff

Thank you both. I suppose it's companionable to know other people aren't sleeping either 😂 I will persist and at least try to get enough rest at any rate. Exercise will probably help with that too! 

Yes, thank you for the reminder er about being an active person EH! I love that you think about yourself like that now 😊😊 I want to get back to that too 😊😊 It certainly does help having my gym clothes all ready together in the bathroom in the morning. 

I did go to the gym this morning, although I dithered and dawdled and didn't get there til 9.20 🙄 Felt good to go though, and brings the price per visit for this month down to £18! 😂😂

EssexHebridean

There you go - £18 a visit now, and there's another nearly 3 weeks of the month to go yet - I wonder how low you can get it?!