coming out of my shell

coming out of my shell

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

I have to laugh

I have to laugh at myself, I am becoming such a stick in the mud. I was just telling one of my granddaughter's I am an extrovert. Now I'm thinking, am I? Did I change in retirement? Because now my preferred days are those when I don't have to leave the house.

The other day I had three things to do (horrors!):
  1. Go to physical therapy in the morning
  2. Go someplace fun with my daughter and grandson in the afternoon
  3. Go to someone's house to celebrate an event in the evening
I woke up in the middle of the night worrying about having so many places to go and things to do the next day. I tossed and I turned. My mind would not stop.

 All that worrying and missed sleep for naught. 
  1.  PT was simple and straightforward
  2. The afternoon with M and N was so much fun.
  3. The event celebration was quite enjoyable, and we left early
How many times have we all done this, woken up filled with worry about something that doesn't seem the least bit worrisome the next morning?

What is it about the night that makes anxiety so potent? 


This 9 of swords tarot card image is from the following site: http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/xr/index. It is from an original "Pamela-A Deck" version of the Rider-Waite-Smith Deck. My use is for informational purposes only.




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24 comments:

  1. nickFebruary 18, 2020 at 10:06 AM

    I'm just the same. I worry about things I've planned for the next day, as if something's bound to go horribly wrong, and then needless to say everything goes smoothly - and I even enjoy myself! I always have bad dreams at night, I can't remember when I last had pleasant ones. The human brain is extremely weird!

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    Replies
    1. ColetteFebruary 18, 2020 at 8:07 PM

      I will wish good dreams for you, then. And yes, the human brain IS extremely weird.

      Delete
  2. The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint AdventureFebruary 18, 2020 at 10:08 AM

    It's one thing to be an extrovert (you are) and another to have anxiety (we've all got that). I think nighttime is when anxiety comes out to play.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 18, 2020 at 10:25 AM

    I don't know what it is about the night that makes things so anxiety potent, but if you find an answer, please let me know.

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  4. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - MaybeFebruary 18, 2020 at 11:47 AM

    As the sayin goes, “Been there, done that. I never sleep right knowing I have a full calendar the next day. I wish I didn’t do it, but I doubt it will change.

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  5. Steve ReedFebruary 18, 2020 at 12:17 PM

    It IS very weird how potent insignificant worries seem in the middle of the night. I can't imagine what evolutionary purpose this serves!

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    1. ColetteFebruary 18, 2020 at 8:09 PM

      I wonder. So often I am absolutely overwhelmed by worry for something that seems ridiculously trivial and manageable in the day light.

      Delete
  6. Roderick RobinsonFebruary 18, 2020 at 12:51 PM

    You can be an extrovert and still remain indoors. But the wallpaper may be at risk.

    How many fun places are there within a reasonable radius of your house? I'm not sure I could stand more than two and I wouldn't want to visit either. If you're fed up with being a stick-in-the-mud become a sourpuss like me. The vocabulary's larger.

    "doesn't seem the least bit worrisome". So you're OK walking down Roosevelt Blvd, naked, a Vote-for-McGovern button in your umbilicus, eating candy-floss. Serious question: is candy-floss still sold?

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    Replies
    1. ColetteFebruary 18, 2020 at 8:11 PM

      If you are referring to cotton candy (the sugary, airy pink stuff wrapped around a stick), yes. It exists at fairs and festivals.

      Delete
    2. ColetteFebruary 18, 2020 at 8:16 PM

      My husband already has dibs on the sourpuss aspect. He's not going to want to share that.

      I wish I had a Vote-for-McGovern button.

      Delete
  7. amFebruary 18, 2020 at 5:47 PM

    Good question. I don't know. I'm going to give that question some thought next time I wake up and can't stop thinking about something that didn't seem to be that big of a problem before I went to sleep.

    The 9 of swords image certainly does a great job of illustrating the anxiety that wakes us at night.

    It seems that I've always been an introvert but as I grow older I am finding that I have an extroverted side, too.

    I'm happy to know that your day went so well!

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    Replies
    1. ColetteFebruary 18, 2020 at 8:12 PM

      Thanks! Yes, the first time I saw the 9 of swords I was overcome by how familiar and obvious the imagery is.

      Delete
  8. Joanne NoragonFebruary 18, 2020 at 7:42 PM

    May I continue to sleep like the proverbial rock!

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  9. My life so farFebruary 18, 2020 at 9:45 PM

    The only thing I worry about in the middle of the night is being tired the next day. I also tend to count the number of hours until I have to wakeup and worry that it won't be enough sleep. So useless worry:)

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  10. DeeFebruary 21, 2020 at 6:58 PM

    Serotonin levels are lowest in the wee hours. There, mystery solved. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Secret Agent WomanFebruary 23, 2020 at 9:52 AM

    I have a hard time shutting down my brain at night and am a worrier by nature.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jean EllenFebruary 26, 2020 at 8:24 AM

    I don't worry too much, but sometimes I think that I have literally done nothing all day and feel guilty. I keep telling myself I worked for 40 years and have earned days of doing nothing, but still . . . .

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    1. ColetteFebruary 26, 2020 at 10:05 AM

      It took me a couple of years of retirement to get comfortable not being productive. Some days I am, some days I'm not. I enjoy both types of days. I hope you learn to enjoy those nonproductive days, too.

      Delete
  13. BohemianFebruary 27, 2020 at 12:18 AM

    Sometimes I just have to surrender what I would Worry over, or it would consume me.

    ReplyDelete

So, whadayathink?

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