Joining up with Carole today to share a few things about me!
Thing One:
I have for quite some time in my life experienced long bouts of insomnia. And by long, I mean weeks at a time until exhaustion overtakes the insomnia and I get a couple of nights of sleep. I am in one of those bouts and I have been really trying to examine ways to break this cycle. This week I have been trying some new things – well, old things at new times. I have been a prayerful meditator for quite some time, but I have been trying some breathing meditations at the end of the day to try to calm my mind and body. While I think it is too soon to tell if this is helping in the few days, I have been doing it, at least I am less stressed about sleeping when I lay down. Last night I also made myself a nice tea latte to sip before bed – hot herbal tea, a bit of honey, and steamed frothy milk were a nice treat. I am not sure the tea helped me sleep, but it felt good to “take care of me”.
Thing Two:
Why is your hair entirely manageable (and even fairly attractive) one week and the next it is a freaking disaster? (also, why does one side have some nice waves but the other entirely straight… really – I.kid.you.not.) Really… is this a thing for everyone? I am in the “freaking disaster” stage and I don’t have a hair appointment until next month (which I realize is not that far away, but…freaking disaster, people… I am telling you… FREAKING DISASTER!!) All this disaster hair has me pondering “new do’s” which means I am trolling the Hair Style Pinterest pages like a crazy person. While I simply adore Mary’s bravado with her darling Audrey Hepburn do… I must be entirely honest with myself – I only like to visit the salon every 7-8 weeks and a short cut requires much more maintenance than I am willing to do. But I am thinking that maybe a good “trim” of 3-4 inches will help this issue? Yeah… thinking is always a good thing when it comes to hair – those rash hair cuts have always resulted in ‘what the hell did I do that for’?!?
Thing Three:
I have been thinking long and hard about my wardrobe – specifically what I wear and what I don’t wear. It turns out that my “don’t wear” things are taking up a LARGE VOLUME OF PRIME CLOSET REAL ESTATE. So… I think I see a little Kon-Mari-Be-More-With-Less action coming to a closet near me!
There you have it… three things for today!
I am knocking on wood as I write that I haven’t been plagued too often by insomnia. I’ve found that concentrating on very deep, mindful breathing helps as I’m falling asleep (trying to…).
My hair dilemmas are solved by length… FREAKING DISASTER is easily remedied by a ponytail. I had short hair as a kid and again in the ’80s — also with perm & highlights… talk about MAINTENANCE (never again, which is why Long Hair)!! 😉
My closet definitely needs some attention and has been on my mind!! I have a very small closet, which I love because it naturally keeps me in check, but it’s also immediately apparent when things are getting out of hand!
Never really experienced insomnia, but I have a habit of staying up way too late and it is often difficult to get up in the morning (but I do…FULL TIME JOB, HELLO??). Then about once or twice a month I fall asleep at about 6:30-7:00 pm and catch up on my sleep (even though you really can’t do that) and then I’m OK for a little while. I think we should do 30 hour days maybe? So I can fit in all of the things.
Occasionally people will comment on my hair, which is USUALLY a freaking disaster, and comment about how great it looks. I always tell them it has a mind of its own. I have no control. LOL I am with Vicki about putting it in a ponytail or clip.
We won’t talk about my closet. 😮
Wow! Sounds like we are living duplicate lives. I average 4 hours a sleep a night except, once a month or so, I’ll sleep 13 or 14 hours. I’ve been on that schedule for several years now.
As for hair, I have THE worst hair! I have a Ton of it. It’s SO thick. And if I let it grow, the back goes into ringlets, one side of my head is very wavy, the other side has 1 wave and the front and a very thin all over top layer is bone straight. Oh, and I’m allergic to most hair products so no muse, no hairspray, no gel… There is no hair cut that looks good for more than 20 minutes.
And the clothes… Ugh! Except if I got rid of the stuff I don’t wear, I’d be left with the 2 t-shirts, 1 pair of jeans and a couple of pair of sweat pants that I do wear. I don’t think I could bear to see the reality of my actual wardrobe.
My hair is always bordering on disaster. I have wavy, almost curly, hair, and it varies between frizzy witch and beachy waves no matter what I do (though it is nearly always closer to the frizzy witch side :-)). I had short hair once and it was a lot more work than my longer hair, so I think I’ll keep it a medium length. I don’t really worry about it any more – it is what it is! I have also contracted KonMari fever, but I’m not doing my clothes. I KonMaried my clothes once pretty heavily and regretted it. I forgot that I rarely find clothes I like, so it was difficult to replace what I got rid of with new things that spark joy.
Thankfully I haven’t dealt with insomnia for many years, but I do have to contend with my husband’s snoring. It’s gotten to the point where I actually look forward to his being on work trips because I know I’ll get a descent night’s sleep while he’s away!
I hear you on the hair thing; it’s probably why I keep my hair long (because if it’s really disastrous, I can just pull it up into a ponytail or bun). I wish I looked good with really short hair because, aside from frequent cuts, the maintenance would be low, but the one time I did it I got called “sir” one too many times.
I’m so sorry about the insomnia. Although I’m a sleep-on-demand kind of person (sorry…), both my sister and my daughter suffer from terrible insomnia – much like you describe. I wish there was an easy fix, and I’m sending good sleep-juju to you.
And, oh. Hair. You’re right about the maintenance required for short hair. If I let mine go even 1 day past its next haircut, the whole thing blows up and becomes a freaking disaster. Every once in a while, I think a good shake-up helps — so I’ll bet your idea of getting rid of several inches might shock things into good behavior for a while. XO
Sorry about your insomnia. That has got to be frustrating. I’ve been going through a period where I can’t seem to stay awake past 9:30 or 10:00…but then I wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. and am usually awake for an hour or more. I practice my yoga breathing and sometimes recite poetry (in my head – not out loud – lol). I’ve also noticed that my spells of restlessness are often (not always) around the time of the full moon.
The hair thing. I’ve had long, medium and short hair. Short hair was too much trouble for me – trying to style it each morning and the frequent cuts…plus all the product! Now it is on the long side, and like others I’m keeping it that way and just pull it back in a ponytail or bun most days. I also stopped coloring/highlighting it several years ago.
I do a pretty major overhaul of clothes twice a year and now when I do buy something new, I try to donate at least one item that I’m not wearing. My closet could use a bit more culling, but it’s ok for now. Good luck!
Insomnia is the worst, but I think deep breathing helps a lot to calm you down.
My hair seems to have a mind of its own, too. It looks great after a appt. and then goes nuts.
My closet needs some work, too, but lately I’ve been attacking the stash.
I always slept great until perimenopause started in. Now I struggle but meditating helps a lot. My secret weapon against bad hair days is a messy bun. And I hear ya on the closet clean out, I need to address that myself.
Insomnia is such a mysterious process, I see it in a few relatives and so wish there was a magic wand.
Hair – let’s not go there.
Closets – too few in number, too little in the way of space, and too many are mine. When the seasons begin or change is when I usually look at clothes and then decide the situation.
Other than the clothes closet part, I could have written this post.
One side of my hair does a completely other thing. How is this possible!!!! I’m letting it grow out from “Mary short”. That’s the other thing. I’ve NEVER had longer than a pixie cut. Is this what hair does???? LOL
Insomnia ………..it’s been going on so long, I’ve learned to embrace it.
I will be praying for you and your insomnia. I am lucky that even though I wake up every two hours throughout the night I fall back to sleep. On the days I sleep for five hours straight that is a MIRACLE and I love it. Isn’t it something about an aging woman? I don’t know.
Totally understand your post…last night I woke up at 2:15 thinking the alarm would be going off soon…alas, no – i read on and off, trying my usual breathing deeply while counting backward from 100…and eventually gave up until 5:30 and read…my hair about 10 years ago went wildly curly…sometimes I give in, usually now I have it pulled back in a pony tail/bun so I have something of a professional look…and speaking of professional looks…i could really pare down my wardrobe to some basics and bright/contrast accesseories and live quite well…just need to fortitude to give up some sentimental things…thanks for your posts – and the knowledge that I am not alone! 🙂
I hope your mediation and tea regime helps with your insomnia. I wake up several times between 3:00am and 5:00 or so, but sleep well right after I go to bed (early). Everybody I know hates their hair and feels envious about what they perceive to be great hair on others. I have a nice bob, BUT one side is well behaved and the other side is a freaking disaster. It NEVER turns under and the back goes in ALL directions. I’ve had to give up caring about perfection and my hairstylist and I just laugh at all my cowlicks. It’s easier than feeling freaked out about my do. When I retired I cleared out my work clothes and now I wear gray or black T-shirts and jeans. No deviation. Simple, easy on the wallet and closet space. Shopping for clothing is something I loath.
My head hits the pillow and I’m out like a light – sorry! Hope you get some sleep tonight and nights to come. As for hair: mine’s been short for decades…and it’s often too long…Sat I visit my hair dresser. ‘Bout time.
Cheers~
Im like HOnore. I usually sleep very well. Last night…not so much. Mouse in the kitchen. Cat kill. Bed partner with restless legs….oh well. Theres tonights sleep to look forward to
ugh. sleepless nights are the worst. I seem to go in cycles, too – and after a few wonderful nights of rest, I’m now wide awake at 12:30 or 2:00. must say – I’m kind of loving my hair. even though I need haircuts every 4-5 weeks to keep it up, the daily maintenance is about nil … so net net I’ve gained a TON of time. and I’ve been getting a series of emails from Courtney about project 333. Not counting my hand knits or shoes, I really do only wear a couple of things. Kon Mari away!!
I don’t get the hair thing either, but finally I’m in a “love” place with my hair thanks to Kris’ fantastic cutting skills the inverted bob is working and Jairo’s chemistry with the color my hair needs very little work. I am sorry you are wresting with insomnia; not something I deal with but my husband’s sleep apnea does often require me to sleep in another room, so while I get sleep it is often interrupted. I’ve done a big purge of clothes out of my closet. Time for someone else to enjoy/use.