2 Weeks In …
…
My summer started off a little insanely. Just me being a little overambitious and a lot overzealous left me stretched in more places than I care to recall, tired, frustrated and stressed out! After a serious self-check and relinquishing a few responsibilities, life was back to normal.
I began to enjoy my uninhibited down time. I read. I organized. I visited with friends and family. I relaxed. It was wonderful … but it also left me feeling a little anxious about the fall. How would I manage yet another semester of a new schedule? How would I balance taking classes and teaching class? When would I have time to read? And how on earth would I ever have enough time to spend endless hours studying and attempting to understand biostatistics.
Well, I am pleased to say that I survived my first 2 weeks – LOL – and am doing just fine. Yes, I am reading an exorbitant amount throughout the week on the weekends (including a 400 page book that my professor expects us to finish in a week and a half). Yes, my days are long and on at least 2 days a week I don’t touch down until close to 9 p.m. Yes, the emails are nonstop and there always seems to be something to do BUT I have learned from experience. I’ve stuck with my usual reading schedule (mapping out all reading assignments on a weekly basis, with the specifics of how many pages I have to read each day to stay ahead or just on track). I’ve retreated to my usual semester behavior with very few pre-arranged social commitments and my weekends reserved for recouping and unwinding. And I am back to my extremely early mornings (early for me) starting my weekdays at 6:00 a.m. and weekends at 7:00 a.m. But I’ve balanced it by squeezing in early morning quick cardio and alternating yoga sessions. Lights are out by 11 p.m. so that I can begin to unwind and I have added a monthly celebration/get away or retreat of some sort planned. A bit OCD for some, but it works for me … extremely well.
I keep telling myself “just 3 months of this.” Things are off to a good start, which is a great sign for me. Now just to maintain ;-).