Something I see happen, all the time, is that PCOS consumes a woman's entire life. It's a problem, it's causing problems, and you can allow the rest of your life to absolutely come to a screeching halt because you haven't found the solution. Then you get into this funky place where you don't want to live your life until the PCOS goes away…but even though you've got plenty of things you can to to steer your situation in that direction…you sit there, without action, not getting out of the funk but not doing anything productive to change the situation.
Maybe you just need a break.
I don't have PCOS, but I own a small business and I'm launching a research institution. I can often feel obligated to spend every waking moment of every single day doing something that contributes to the success of both of those things. And if, at the end of the day, there has not been a sale or a donation or a registration for a fundraiser, I can be hard on myself.
That is why I love July. I love July because I hate July.
See, I live in Phoenix, where July is the month where you literally, if you absolutely MUST step outside into July, will feel like one of those unfortunate roasted chickens in the checkout line at the grocery store. It's that bloody hot.
No matter how much you have to do, no matter what rides on the outcome of your doing it, in Phoenix, in July, you simply cannot move nearly as quickly as you can in January.
So yesterday I woke up at 5 am because I always do in the summer, and it was already hot. I wasn't getting anywhere on my long list of things to do, so I decided to go for a swim. Got to the pool, didn't feel like swimming, but I swam a mile anyway. Came home, had a book to review, so I laid down on the bed and started to read. I spent the entire afternoon drifting in and out of consciousness, reading a few pages, falling asleep, reading a few more pages, falling asleep, etc., etc. Oh, and petting kitty whenever she got tired of the book getting more attention than her.
It wasn't my normal pace of work, but it really was all I had the energy for. And you know what? I sold stuff. I got Twitter followers. According to my blog statistics, people still stopped by to visit. I finished the book. And despite all the snoozing, I fell asleep at 9 pm. And I woke up refreshed, with a bunch of new ideas.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do, is just take a break. Note: I did NOT flip from being superproductive to being counterproductive. In PCOS world, that translates into not flipping into bingeing on sweets because you're taking a day off of completely focusing on your dilemma. Putting your most pressing problem on the back burner and self-nurturing can be one of the most productive things you do on your journey. Some of the most important things that need to happen, are completely out of your control. You can make things worse by trying to force them before they're ready to be yours.
See, I love July because I hate July because it gives me no choice but to remember that we all need to take a break once in awhile and even when we do…we get closer to our goal.
On that note, I am going for another swim, then I'm off to an ice cream social…and then I have an appointment with Kitty Girl. That is her in the photo, demonstrating her own method for dealing with problems. She is one of the least stressed out beings on the planet so there is definitely some method to her nappy-ness!
See you soon, refreshed and relaxed!