Mental Exhaustion

It's no secret that I'm incredibly busy every single day of the week. My Tuesdays and Thursdays start at 4:30am and don't end until 7pm when I finally get to go home.

Tomorrow starts our first round of Saturday class. We have what they call "reading camp," where students come to us for tutoring and we get feedback on how we are teaching. This is a really awesome concept, but after a week of long, mentally exhausting days, I've been looking so forward to my weekends.

Today I came home from 6 hours of school and wanted to get ahead on my homework for the week. I started reading a chapter out of a book and almost had a nervous breakdown. I was so tired. I couldn't think. I missed boyfriend who is out of town visiting family for a week. I tried to use the same mental tricks I use to get me through a tough run. But for once, I listened to my mind and body and laid down.

I looked like this.

Thirty minutes and a lot of drool later, I felt like a totally new person. I had a more positive outlook and finished two assignments. I realized that I really do need to take mental breaks. That's why I run. That's why I lift. Those are my mental breaks. And lately, I've been knitting again before bed while watching Friends.

I can't do everything all of the time. I'm not a superhuman and I need to remember that and treat my body with care. I can't sit and learn all day and expect to be mentally fresh to complete assignments.  I can't run 6 PRs six days a week and expect to not get injured at some point.  Taking breaks are not a sign of weakness.  Breaks are completely healthy and reset us to make us even better the next time around.  I really need to remember this.