Happiness Project: Boost your Energy

This week on the Happiness Project, MiniVanMom asks us to look at ways to boost our energy. According to Gretchen Rubin, "research shows being happy energizes you, and at the same time, having more energy makes it easier for you to engage in activities - like socializing and exercise - that boost happiness. Studies also show that when you feel energetic, your self-esteem rises". The five steps Rubin used to boost her energy are:

• Go to sleep earlier
• Exercise better
• Toss, restore, organize
• Tackle a nagging task
• Act more energetic

I don't know anyone who gets enough sleep, certainly not any mother! My day begins when the alarm goes off at 4:55, every school day (unfortunately, this means that sleeping in on the weekends is now 7:15). I really don't know how I can get anymore sleep. I feel as though I am going to bed at a reasonable hour (usually 10ish). Instead of more sleep, I would kill for some recharging time!

I have started to get back on the exercise bandwagon and it feels good. I love the boost that it does give me. The problem is finding the time to actually do it. I can't get up any earlier, and I don't want to workout after dinner. With kids activities, I just don't always have the time. My plan is to make it more of a priority now.

Cleaning house and getting things in order is definitely energizing and contagious. I love the feeling of having things in their place. My real problem is that I don't do it on a regular basis. While my house is clean, it is not always tidy. I am probably a little too laid back on the occasional pile of mail, or pair of shoes cast aside. I've got three kids, the youngest of which is just 21 months. I feel like I am constantly picking up crap and putting it back where it belongs.
I know there are people out there whose homes always look neat and tidy, I wish I was one of those people, I just don't have the energy to do it. There are times when I panic, what if someone just dropped by? Maybe I'm too concerned at what other people would think of me...or maybe I should find the time to tidy on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, my house doesn't look like a bomb went off, just not perfect.

I have too many nagging tasks to even focus in on one. lets review that nagging "to do list"
At least I've gotten the painting/lights/and carpet done.

Act more energetic- I guess that's like acting happy. That is a tough one. I don't know if I have enough energy to feign energy. but, I resolve to stop dwelling on being tired. I have a horrible habit of responding to the question, "how are you?" with "tired". Even if I'm lying, I am going to find a way to respond differently.

I think once I start "acting energetic" and get on a better exercise routine, the energy will come...my very own Field of Dreams.

Am I happy?

Last week I wrote about the Happiness Project. A blogger I have been reading for a while now decided to lead a few of us down a journey exploring happiness and what it means for us. The assignment this week is to answer three questions:

Why are you doing this project?
What is your history in trying to be more happy?
What does happiness look like for you?

I'm not sure what happiness looks like for me, completely. I have a great marriage, 3 beautiful and healthy girls, a job that challenges me, a great home and wonderful family nearby. When I think of other people I know who have more difficult life circumstances, I am happy that my life seems so good. Then, of course, there is always the flip side.

When I look at the big picture, I think I'm happy. Do I feel happy on a daily basis? Not very often. I know for a fact that even though I am considered by many friends to be very patient, I actually lose it quite often with my kids. I hate the constant strife there is at home. I hate the yelling and subsequent tears that are inevitable on an almost daily basis. I hate that I don't have the time to just BE with my kids and give them the individual attention they need. I want to be able to do things with them, but am often "too busy" with checking homework, cleaning, laundry, cooking, paying bills, etc. I hate how stressed I get knowing that some aspect of my life is always getting the short end of the stick, and too often, it is my kids.

This project is not about focusing on what I hate, however, so I need to figure out what happy would look like to me. I know that happiness has got to have less stress and more me time. What has worked for me in the past has been to be able to find just a little bit of time to recharge my own batteries so that I can be a better mom to my kids. You know what they say...happy mommy, happy family. Or maybe they don't say that, but I certainly will!

October

Evidently, October didn't exist.

Obviously, that is not exactly correct. It did exist, and was jam-packed with a million things to do. But, I really have no idea where the time went, but here we are almost a third of the way through November already-how the hell did that happen?!

I read a few blogs and thoroughly enjoy being able to keep up with the lives of others or read about controversial topics, but I seemed to have been barely able to do that in the past month or so. I started this blog as a way to chronicle my life and memories, not really caring how many people read it, or even if anyone reads it. I am sure that memorable things have happened in the past few weeks, but I just couldn't find the energy to write about it. So if there is anyone out there reading this, I am sorry that I have not updated since September!

In case you were interested, Megan recovered from her UTI-only after needing to go back for a second prescription of hard-core antibiotics (don't get me started on how inept the CVS by my house is). Sarah's soccer season just finished (they tied for 3rd place) and Winter Swimming started 2 weeks ago. Sarah also took classes to be able to receive her first communion and was thrilled to finally be able to partake last Sunday. Emma is now 18 months old and we still can only understand about 30% of what she is saying. The commitment to being on the Elementary School PTA has not been as bad as I thought it would, but it does often conflict with Sarah's choir practice. Pat tells me that I have Sarah in too many activities. I just want her to be able to enjoy her time with her friends. I haven't forced her to do any of these things. As soon as things begin to be a chore for her, we will revisit the situation. I just want her to be able to build a good friend base and keep active. I can't do the "after school play-date" that so many work/stay at home moms in our neighborhood do, so I have to keep her in activities where she sees her friends this way.

In conversation with an upset and stressed out student this afternoon, it became clear that she wasn't spending enough time on herself. She was internalizing her parents marital issues, her mom's battles with her younger sister, and her brother's early education (she was taking it upon herself to teach him his letters and to convince her sister to apply to the middle school magnet program). She has taken on fixing everyone's problems without caring for herself. She is now distracted, grades are suffering and she is crying a lot. Among other things we talked about, I suggested that she find time for herself, she needs to realize that she cannot solve some of the issues in the lives of those around her and focus on what she can do. She needs to find time to recharge her batteries, so to speak, and de-stress and she may find that things get easier.

Obviously, this is good advice for everyone, but definitely for me. It is near impossible to get "me time", but I need to find it. Also, I really enjoyed writing about our experiences as a family here on the blog, and I think I need to begin to do that more often. I won't promise daily, but I am definitely going to make more of an effort.