Ugh. I swear I'm losing my mind.
Either I'm getting old, or I'm just overwhelmed, or I'm tired, or I'm under nourished (or under caffeinated). But things that I used to be totally on top are now slipping through the cracks.
I'm definitely tired, and I'm definitely cranky. I don't know where all my energy went. In the winter, I blamed the weather. Now it's summer, and I'm blaming...the weather?
Because maybe it IS summer. Something about the humidity gives me headaches, and that definitely doesn't help my mind. Pressure? Maybe. It's very frustrating, and feels like crazy first world problems, to be sitting around the pool, whining that my head hurts. The issue I get with these particular headaches, is that, while they are definitely weather related, if I don't catch and treat them right away, they get worse and worse until the only thing that works is a big dose of Excedrin and a few hours of sleep.
Fortunately, in an effort to avoid drugging myself up and rendering myself completely useless, I've found a few things that work. Crazy amounts of hydration (water doesn't seem to cut it as well as Gatorade), inhaling peppermint oil, and - don't judge me - pickle brine.
Now, as the only family member who really likes pickles (Adam will tolerate them and eat them when they're alongside a burger, but doesn't actively seek them out), it's become a joke about that weird jar of yellow-ish brine that Mommy won't let anyone throw away. They make all kinds of faces at me. But I swear, it's helping. I've read a few things online about it being suggested to runners as a way to replace depleted electrolytes, and a few who just tried it hoping for an overall improvement in health. After all, I was a big adopter of apple cider vinegar as a health aid, so this is actually (to me) a tastier improvement. If I can grab some pickle juice and gatorade when the pressure first builds, I can usually have a decent day.
But the memory...some of that is just that my brain is trying to keep too much in it at once. I'm balancing my schedule, both girls' schedules, a homeschooling curriculum, plan, and rapidly growing to-do list, a house and all that requires, shopping lists, to do lists, gifts to buy, things to remember, and it's not going well. I haven't had any major catastrophes yet, but I've had plenty of moments where I've gotten a late notice on a bill (whoops), forgotten to schedule an appointment (usually my own) or have left the store, multiple return trips and all, without the thing I needed, and wandering around parking lots, looking for my car.
So beyond the headache piece, I think a lot of this is just overloaded mind and the consequences of all that. So instead of just crossing my fingers and hoping it gets better, I need to treat it like the headaches and find something that works.
Make a plan to find my car, and be proactive about that.
Keep a all encompassing book to write things in. (a homeschool friend of mine turned me on to this. It's not a planner, it's not fancy. It's a spiral bound journal that is an ever evolving list. I'll go into more detail another day.)
And, you know, more pickle brine. I swear, it works.
