The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

The last few days have been a challenge.

I’ve been balancing my work and school commitments okay, but my energy level has taken a dive off a cliff. My get up and go has gotten up and left me in the dust.

On the bright side, the fatigue I’m feeling is not the soul-sucking, all encompassing fatigue that I feel when I’m sliding towards a depression episode. This tired has been just that, tired.

I did manage to get some downtime on Tuesday, and a bit more of Friday, which has helped significantly, but I’m still feeling run down. Fortunately, I’ve made plans to take it easy this weekend and the early part of the coming week is going to be pretty light.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on my self-care. I’ve been trying not to get too down on myself for being tired, I’ve been letting myself sleep-in in the mornings, and have been focusing on getting to bed at a decent time. I’ve also really been working on my hydration, drinking less coffee and more water, which also seems to be helping.

Basically, I’m giving myself permission to be drained and scaling back my commitments a bit, to allow myself a bit of extra time to rest.

In short, I’ve really been working on my self-care. That includes my workout regime. I still haven’t stepped back up to the routine that I had pre-injury, but I’m forcing myself, no matter how tired I am, to get down on the treadmill at least three to four times a week. I may not be doing a huge conditioning stint like I was, but the workouts a few times a week are at least letting me maintain the status quo. Besides, despite the huge energy expenditure during the workout, they have been helping re-invigorate me, giving me a bit more energy to deal with the tasks of the day.

One area where I have been kicking my ass is my photography. I’ve made it out to shoot a couple of hockey games, and our usually church services on Sunday, but I have not made the time to head into the back-country lately to try and add some more photos to my repertoire. Between the fatigue, work, and school, my dance card has been full. Still, it’s something I need to make time for, and soon.

Mentally, aside from being fatigued, I’m still feeling good. For the time being anyways, my mental health symptoms have taken a holiday, which I am completely happy about. That’s at least one topic I’m not having to worry about right now, though heading into the holiday season I must remain vigilant because the holiday season is coming up fast, and while not as bad as my September dip, I still am not at my best during the season.

Overall, aside from wanting to bounce this fatigue right out the window, I’m happy with where I am and what I’m accomplishing. While I’m still not managing to work at full-time levels, I’m producing at a level that I never thought I would get back to after leaving the ambulance. With the progress I’ve made over the last couple of years, it makes me excited to see where my progress stands a year from now.

Kevin