1- Morning yoga is growing on me. I’ve been using Peloton, mostly because I already have it. I’ve been doing 20 – 30 minute classes (instructors tried so far: Aditi, Dennis, Anna, Kirra) and have been impressed with the quality of the cueing and the variety. I even threw in a little bit of barre (Hannah) and a combo pilates/yoga workout one day.
None of this feels toooooo strenuous (my HR does rise, but only very briefly and often the HR average is like 90s – low 100s — I’m not really looking at it during the sessions, just afterwards) and I do enjoy it. Kirra ended today’s class saying, “Be grateful what you can do.” I appreciated that.
I am hoping to add back strength training eventually, but am going to hold off for now.
2- I am making these brownies today (recipe by Jessica in the Kitchen). They are grain free (because they are for Passover at my SIL’s tonight) and vegan (because there are multiple vegans in the family). I pressed the easy button and ordered all of the ingredients for delivery last night.
I feel like they will be good because dark chocolate. I plan on doing the sea salt/melted chip drizzle and serving with coconut whipped cream and berries. I have not baked anything in FOREVER and am looking forward to it (maybe some kids will help me, but either way is fine with me).
3- Josh and I went out to dinner! Thursday night is a perfect date evening for us because our nanny doesn’t mind staying, Josh doesn’t USUALLY have a crazy clinical day, and we can finish by picking A up at gymnastics at 8:45 pm. A miscommunication led to us trying this place (Josh was referring to another restaurant by the name “Bruschetta”, and I thought he meant this one), and it was GREAT! We shared: burrata salad, spinach ravioli, salmon, and some tiramisu that was next-level good. It was super delicious homemade-tasting Italian. I had my first glass of wine since The Incident and we had a nice night. (BONUS was that A was happy when we picked her up — post-gymnastics moods can be quite variable depending on how practice went!)
4- Speaking of gymnastics . . . A competed at her final meet of the season, the FL state meet! She had a rough start (had to restart her bars routine — I’ve actually never seen her fall off of bars, she missed her squat on and it was a total fluke!) but then rallied to do really well in the other three events. She placed on beam (3rd) and had strong finishes on floor and vault. I’m proud of her for completing the season, and she’s pretty sure she wants to return next year (with the goal of leveling up to the next Xcel level for next year’s meet season). The team at her specific level (Xcel Silver) was tiny this year, but they got along really really well. I think they started with 5 girls but only 3 ended up competing, and it was great getting to know both of the other families.
5- I am done with call (for a while)! I wasn’t on at night and it was just the weekdays, which made the week much easier. It’s really unfortunate when call and PMS coincide, but that is definitely not something I can control. I guess maybe it’s getting the hard stuff over with at once!?
I do 6 weeks of call a year (one is just weekdays – the one I just did) and this year my weeks were a little bit backloaded. I was on once in Feb, this past week, and then the other 4 weeks are in August, September, October, and December! It’s going to be a busy fall, but I’m pretty psyched about my call-free summer!
(Yes, technically August and even lots of September is still summer, but my week is after the start of school so . . . it won’t really feel like the summer season anymore to me by then).
11 Comments
I have to laugh because I read “when PMS and call collide” in a movie announcer voice in my head. Glad you got out to a good date night with Josh – that’s important. Glad you’re enjoying morning yoga.
I love Kirra’s self-talk! I do not love how she does her chaturangas, but I put up with it because she herself is so lovely.
I have… no plans this weekend and am feeling pretty down about it, which tbh is typical for me (look forward to weekend, realize the weekend sucks, dread the workweek, repeat). I had wanted to do the Big House run but my hip is bothering me again and if I go at all it will be as a walk. I can think of literally nothing I want to do and am looking forward to nothing.
Like I said before, your hole isn’t bad at all. You’re going to be fine.
SESB, I saw your other comment earlier this week and now this one and I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry you are going through such a hard time. I only know you through comments on this blog, but these two sound like you are battling depression. As someone who has been depressed on and off since puberty (so over 30 years now), I just want to say that I know how much it can suck and I’m really sorry. For me, going back on an SSRI has made a big difference, but also I can easily slip back into depression if I’m not pretty strict with working out, getting enough sleep, and eating well. It feels like it’s always on the verge on settling back in.
I would never suggest things like “just write down what you’re grateful for” or “think of people who have it worse” because that’s incredibly unhelpful and potentially detrimental. What I would suggest is, if you are up for it, considering therapy, medication, what exercise you can do (you’ve alluded to physical ailments so this may not be an option and I’m sorry for that, too.) And finally…if this applies to you, maybe remembering times when you didn’t feel so flat and grey and hopeless. Sometimes just knowing “I didn’t always feel this way” is enough to start to believe “I won’t always feel this way.”
It is so hard when nothing brings you joy and each day is just another you have to get through. You’re not alone. I hope with spring coming that will help, or that you will discover something that shifts things so you can emerge from this bout of depression. Until then, thinking of you. You. Are. Not. Alone.
Hi Elizabeth. I’m sure you won’t believe me, but I do all the things you listed. I am never going to do therapy because it makes me feel humiliated and full of guilt and shame. I have no interest in unpacking all the ways in which I am actually the problem that I will never be able to fix, and how I don’t actually have it that bad and thus my feelings are irrational and I should just adjust my mindset. I am happy pretty routinely for 1-2 days (such as last Tuesday) and then slip back into the hole for 10 or so. It *will* always be this way, actually. I’m not interested in medication because I don’t believe it will work, and interestingly, nobody who knows me irl has ever suggested it.
Her chataurangas are really different and I am pretty sure I am doing them wrong, but I really do like her energy/overall vibe.
I have been quietly rooting for you through your condition and recovery. I’m bookmarking the brownies (as a vegan and someone in need of kid Passover treats–right now!). I always get so much inspiration from you. And by bookmarking, I mean sending to my Apple notes, which I would have never sorted and used as a repository without your enthusiasm for using it as your second brain (from Tiago Forte book). Thank you so much for sharing all the big and little things.
I was not expecting Kirra to end today’s class saying, “Be grateful what you can do.” I appreciated that too. I think we’ll see if the intensity of the pilates/yoga and barre right now can sustain into the next week, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger.
I can imagine how much easier the call week can be for not being on at night. My biggest question mark right now about your workplace, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger, is whether or not it is the case – the case that I would hope for – that 90% of all patients you see do not question your qualifications as a physician based on you having an illness yourself that you cannot treat yet.
I don’t think it is fun at all to practice gymnastics while having a broken bone in a finger. I imagine that one’ll even grind one’s teeth at times.
I just read some of the recipes by Jessica in the Kitchen. I do come up with new recipes myself from time to time, but I think I can use some of her recipes too. I also imagine that you put your date night with Dr. Josh Unger in your planner first, which then enabled it to actually happen, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger. Although, I think that I, too, could mix “Brusketta” with “Bruschetta”.
I am so glad you’re enjoying morning yoga. You should definitely take a yoga class with Kristin (McGee). She’s my absolute favorite. I know Kristin (and Ross) have left but there are still a ton of their classes on Peloton.
I love that you had a nice night out with Josh. You deserved that.
The brownies sound delicious! I bet they won’t necessarily taste ‘grain free’. Denser recipes are so forgiving when making grain free. So I usually bring brownies if I need to bring dessert to a gathering.
I’m glad your first post-incident call didn’t involve nights!!
Ooooh those brownies sound so good! We usually do Passover Seder at a friends’ house, but for a variety of reasons they aren’t having non-family this year, so we are… doing nothing. We are going to my parents’ house for Easter though, so that’s something? I feel like such a failure when it comes to my child’s religious education!
So glad you have been finding some workouts that you enjoy!
Yay for a date night – especially one that involves tiramisu. And wow – a call-free summer sounds amazing!!!!
So many good things here! I want to hear how those brownies came out- my guess is they were delicious. Vegan and grain free can be challenging- it’s hard to get baked good to be fluffy. BUT, luckily brownies are not supposed to be fluffy! They can be fudgey and gooey.
Dennis was always my favorite for yoga when I had Peloton. And, I can see how a morning yoga routine would be great.
Congrats to A, and yay for a date night with Josh!