Complicating Bad

Dear Reader,

This week has been a roller coaster of sorts. While there were some ups and downs, the most notable feature of this metaphorical thrill ride was that it had a tendency to accelerate from 0 to 100mph in no time at all. Now that it is Friday, I have taken the time to reflect on why this week felt so strange and I have identified certain “symptoms” that when combined can make an average week feel like an emotional and mental rollercoaster.

Pace

We know all know what a long day feels like. Add those day up and you’ve got a long week. Simple! However, how about when you’ve got a few long hours in the day and then the rest of the day passes by rather quickly? But, what if you’ve got a few days like that and then some super long and super short days mixed in (just to spice things up)? Then, by the end of the week you’ve got yourself a recipe for all sorts of exhaustion. “Hurry up and wait,” they say, whether it’s showbiz, traveling, or the military, there are times when we need to work hard and get things done quickly only to then wait so others can do their part. When your weeks, days, or hours have an inconsistent pace, it can leave you feeling internally distressed. Trying to follow and feel comfortable at an unpredictable pace is like hitting the ‘random’ setting on a treadmill and expecting not to breathe harder. Perhaps knowing that a day or week will be intermittently hectic can be a prophylactic for the pacing problem…but, predicting the future is hardly the prescription, only hindsight is ever 20/20.

Food

You hangry, bro? What and how we eat has great significance for how we think and feel. Our brain is an organ. If our brains were cars we’d all be riding around in Hummers as our brains are energy guzzling monsters. If we do not get enough to eat we can easily fall into a “hangry” state. However, on the flipside, if we consume too much, we can feel physically uncomfortable and, perhaps, be left with feelings of guilt. If we fall into a high-sugar diet, then we can find ourselves distracted with cravings. This past week was difficult for me because (now here is my confession to you, Dear Reader), I get hangry and when I get hangry, I become a monster. And a monster last week I was. I admit this. I recognize this and I swear to you, I’m working on it!

Weather

It’s a beautiful day in Boston the weather is rainy and gray…. Seasonal depression is real. While I do not admit to having anything so serious, I do admit that I feel a little blue when the skies are gray. This past week was a mixed bag of nuts weather-wise. Like a chess board, the days seemed to be evenly balanced between light and dark days. The inconsistency in the weather can be tiring. As we near the fall, Boston now has a mix of hot/ humid days as well as cold/windy/rainy ones. It’s important to stay on top of things. With the volatile weather it’s easy to get a sunburn, because you were expecting rain, or to be caught on a walk without an umbrella because yesterday there was not a cloud in the sky. I expend too much mental energy keeping track of the forecast. Seriously, each morning I look at the forecast and perform mental calculus to determine whether my light jacket and skirt will hold up all day when the forecast indicates a high of 64F, a low of 48F, partly cloudy, 17mph winds, and 40-70% chance of rain for 40% of the day. Spoiler alert, Dear Reader, I’m not very good at math and do not usually fare well in my wardrobe choices. Feeling too hot or too cold, although it may sound trivial, can really affect one’s mood.

There were a few other symptoms in my not-so-great week, Dear Reader, including having a crazy amount of work to do, altering my sleep schedule, and missing my boyfriend as he went out of town for a few days. I think that it’s important to reflect and try to recognize one’s honest feelings. Furthermore, I think that it’s important to pinpoint the sources of our feelings as specifically as we can. Because, if I were to say I had a “bad” week, I could do nothing more other than hope for a better one. However, if I were to say “I had a busy week, exacerbated by inconsistent workloads, ‘hangriness,’ gray skies, poor sleep, and feelings of distance from my significant other,” then I can address each of these items head-on and make it easier for me to find happiness moving forward. 

I hope you do not have bad weeks, Dear Reader, I hope you can continue to find beautiful moments even within “complicated” weeks.

Love, 

Raven