energy level – miss fidgety

Oh, the irony.

I totally hit level 4 on the energy scale yesterday. I cleaned house with David. I walked the dog around the block. I hung a shelf in Quinland’s bathroom that I have been meaning to put up for over a dozen years. (It took ten minutes. Why do we do this to ourselves?)

Then I decided to figure out how much of my scrapbook collection I actually need, and how much can just get sold on eBay. This will be a long job, so I told myself I’d start with thirty minutes, and I ended up working on it for an hour.

Then things got fun. We dressed up in our finest hats to go to Franzfest, a celebration I created years ago when my friend Ina was dreading the anniversary of her dad’s death. (He was a gentleman who appreciated fine dining, classy artwork, and jaunty headwear, so we incorporate them whenever possible.) A large group of us had dinner at Gustav’s in his honor, and a good time was had by all.

I’m sure you can guess the punchline: I totally overdid it, and now I’m barely able to get out of bed. (It’s 3:00 pm and the dog just started licking my face as though to revive the body of a stranger he found on the side of the road, so I got up, took my medicine, and gave him some food.)

I’m going to attempt to stay upright and push this day into level 2. There’s a pile of papers on my desk that I need to get to. The dog and I really should take a walk. All that laundry I washed yesterday isn’t going to fold itself. I haven’t been to church yet, but if I can rally, I’ll go to 5:30 Mass with the very few faithful who aren’t watching the Super Bowl.

All I want to do is go right back to bed.

(I saw this at Goodwill but didn’t buy it, because I’m well-stocked already.)

One of the metrics I’m using to determine the state of my health this year is my energy level. I’m taking a measurement every day on the following scale:

1 = stuck in bed all day

2 = bare minimum tasks (up, dressed, ate something, went to work or doctor’s appointments)

3 = also got some necessary things done (dishes, laundry, bills paid, made an actual meal)

4 = had energy left to have some fun! (see a friend, play a game, watch a movie, do a craft)

5 = had enough energy for plenty of fun! (something big: see a concert, go on a hike, go to a day-long event)

When I was working five days a week, I was living at a level 1 or 2. I was going through the motions to accomplish the bare minimum, but nothing else was getting done. I’d basically drag myself home and go straight to bed, then wake up and do it again. Weekends were spent in bed trying to recuperate to get ready for the next week.

The three-day schedule has given me a lot of that energy back. I still have days in bed, but I’m pretty solidly at level 2 or 3 most of the time, with an occasional foray into level 4.

My hope, of course, is that improving my diet and exercise will help with the MS fatigue, and that my energy level will rise accordingly. I need to hit level 4 on a regular basis so I can actually see my friends outside of work!

“Dr.Zarkov, Begin the Energy Flow !” by Lew (tomswift) Holzman / CC BY