The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

Today has been a heavy day.

I spent the day on course, taking my Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST.) Talking about suicide and mental health all day has been draining, but also cathartic.

The people in the course come from a diverse range of backgrounds, however I did know a few of them, and I’m definitely glad that I wasn’t the only guy in the course, as is often the case when doing anything mental health related. The course has given me some new perspective in dealing with mental health and suicide.

After the course concluded for the evening I grabbed a couple groceries, then headed home to make supper for Lynn and I. She hasn’t been having a great day, feeling sick and feverish most of the day.

While we were eating we watched some t.v, and ended up watching an episode of Hawaii Five-0, a Magnum P.I, and a Law & Order:SVU. After there day on course I’ve been happy to keep a pretty low-key evening.

Tomorrow is another full day in class, so by tomorrow at this time I am expecting to be pretty much mentally cooked.

Monday is a relatively lighter day, with a photo session at our seniors lodge for our church directory, and then town council that evening.

This entire upcoming week is going to be steady, with events, photography, speaking, and medical appointments for both Lynn and I. Oh well, it is what it is. I’ll take the down-time where I can find it, and the end is in sight. I’ve got things keeping me busy until the early part of December, then things start slowing down. Being damn near at the end of November already, I can keep this pace going a bit longer, as long as I’m smart about it.

What does being smart about it mean, exactly?

First up, the main concern I have is making sure I get appropriate sleep. As long as I’m getting my rest everything else is much easier to manage.

Second, as busy as my schedule has been, I haven’t been overloading myself. I may have had something or other going on every day, but for the most part I haven’t been jam-packing my schedule all day, every day. Things have been scheduled in bite sized chunks, which brings me to the third item on my list.

I’ve been finding time for me. Whether I’ve been getting in an hour of gaming, a couple hours of t.v. with Lynn, or 20 minutes of reading before bed, I’ve been forcing myself to take some me time, and that that fact alone has helped me no end.

All of that being said, I do have a couple days off planned in the first couple weeks of December, where my plan is to do as little as possible. No school work, no “work” work, just a couple days worth off rest and recreation. We’ll see how long that plan lasts, but a guy can dream.

Kevin