I am feeling the urge to write more, but other things have taken precedence. I was going to write “I haven’t had the time”, but that would be
false. I have chosen to run, spend time with A/C/J, work, and do other things instead. So, here’s an update on some of those things.
Running/workouts: I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I am back into training mode and planning to run the Miami Half Marathon again (did it last year, too). I’ve been using the training plan/app from runcoach. I’ll have to do a more in-depth review after the race, but having pre-planned workouts and an app that leads me through them (including timed intervals!) has been fun. I’m averaging about ~20 miles/week — nothing crazy — and the plan will peak at around 30.
Vacation: Yep, it happened. And we stayed home! Basically, I:
– rested
– spent time with A&C (also went to Cameron’s Mommy&Me class on Tuesday/Thursday, his gymnastics on Wednesday, and Annabel’s ballet on Thursday)
– had A’s parent-teacher conference (thankfully things are going well)
– ran
– had a massage and went on a Miami Beach architecture tour
– spent time with friends V&J who happened to pick the perfect long weekend to spend here.
This approach saved (a lot of!) money and was honestly a lot less stressful than packing/traveling/etc with A&C. And I would do it again.
Coming back from vacation: OMG, it’s never easy! Not because I wasn’t mentally ready to go to work — but because in my line of work this means a pile of undone stuff, and no built-in catchup time to actually do it. I’m not sure how to solve this. But at least I’ve been somewhat zen about it. So far.
November habits: Meh. After doing really well with all of the goals I set for myself in October, November has been . . . less consistent. But vacation (and deviating from routine/resting/etc) was worth it.
Video storage: So, I’ve decided to upload our videos to Google Photo. Has anyone tried this? It’s such a great idea in theory but painfully slow in practice.
Work: I mentioned previously that I am adding another dimension to my career as a pediatric endocrinologist. Our institution is building a pediatric residency program, and I’m going to be the Associate Program Director! I am very excited. Of course, I will still be doing my ‘regular job’ 80% of the time, but 2 half-days per week will be blocked off so my patient load will decrease a bit. I am really really itching to learn all I can about graduate medical education and program design. And — surprisingly — looking forward to using the ‘General Peds’ part of my brain again.
Link: I love this post from Laura V. I think so much of the commentary of “stressed/overly busy” has more to do with the nature of the individual reporting (and their expectations!) than it does with the actual situation. Lately I have been just choosing not to stress (and yes, I have to consciously keep reminding myself sometimes) and it has been working surprisingly well. Life is feeling easier, lighter, more fun — even with a lot of things going on.
11 Comments
What a great idea to have a stay at home vacation! I have pondered this idea in the past yet feel I wouldn’t truly relax and instead would "stress" about the million other productive things I could/should be doing at home.
Love your updates! I was wondering if you could write a post about your meditation habits and how you’re doing it? I find my life just generally feels better when I meditate regularly as well but I’m having a hard time sticking to it consistently and I’m curious what’s been working for you.
I suspect some people are more hard wired to be anxious/stressed than others. And everyone has a different saturation point at which ‘overwhelm’ happens, not to mention the material resources to deal with it. LV seems to have high tolerance, and the resources to back it; I don’t!
Yes, 100% agree about the wiring, and I’m not sure it’s easily changeable, either. And you also make a very valid point about material resources. Being able to "throw money" at a problem really really does help. Now we can; before we couldn’t (without the stress of going into debt), and yes, life is easier now.
Thank you SO MUCH for turning me onto Laura V and her wisdom. I just finished I Know How She Does it and am telling all of my mom friends about it.
Staycations are great – especially when you get to be involved in some daytime kid activities that otherwise conflict with work. We did one of the holidays last year and it was lovely.
I also liked Laura’s post. I actually do not feel "busy" or "rushed" for the most part. Since I do not have a hard start/finish time at work, the only time schedule I’m beholden to is the Chapel Hill buses (ha!) and with G not in many activities yet, I don’t feel rushed to be anywhere. I also think work/life balance is easy for me. I feel like I have the caveat of a flexible job and a husband who works from home so that makes a lot of things easier.
That’s very exciting about your new position as the Association Program Director! I think it’s a great fit for you!!
Oh! Question about runcoach – I’m assuming that there are some specific workouts each week? Your calendar just has distances but are there track/interval/tempo runs with recommended paces built into the plan? I’m training for Tobacco Road Half in March and was looking for something new this time around. I’d like to PR and take about 5 minutes off my time!
Very cool! I will talk to Dan about paying for it. This seems like next best thing to a coach!! Those paces are tough but I bet by the end of the training cycle you’ll be ready 🙂
Your staycation sounds nice, though I don’t think we would enjoy it—we are both too hardwired to find "things we need to do" around the house to fully be able to relax and enjoy. Though the price is certainly right! I realize that staying in a hotel is the only time I can go more than 20 minutes and not feel like I need to throw in some laundry or organize something or glance at the fridge to start planning the next meal/snack of the 10 meal/snacks that seem to get eaten per day, and then cleaning up AFTER the snack. I realize this is a problem but not sure how to stop!
"Lighter, more fun" oh that is so the goal, isn’t it? so so happy that you’re finding this peace!!
Hey Sarah- although I read SHU Box regularly, I’m a bad blog commenter. Wanted to let you know that if you’re taking those videos on your phone, there’s a setting in Google Photo where the app will automatically upload any videos in your gallery anytime it’s connected to wifi! Takes all the work out of it for you.
I have had several lovely staycations in the past year. I think the key is to plan some activities, a nice mix of need to dos and wants, but not so many that you feel overwhelmed. And time for exercise and reading, or whatever it is you enjoy. I’m glad you had fun! And yes, SO much cheaper and hassle-free than traveling, though that can be nice too.
As a side note, sometimes I find myself getting really overwhelmed thinking about research, my reading, sleeping, and I’ve found that a) there is good reason I feel that way, but also b) things will end up working themselves out regardless. Time will elapse. The tough time will end. I still sometimes feel rushed, but when I can stop for a moment and remember that none of this really matters, and that most of my stress is self imposed (the stress to rush rush rush at work is not, but they can all go stick it) helps a lot.