Day 55 - The Importance of Sleep and Treating Yourself Right

It's so important to get enough sleep and treat yourself right. Especially if you have a demanding job/life.

So many studies have shown what can happen to you if you don't give the body enough shut eye. Illness, mental problems. Concentration. Performance.

Same with what you put in your body. Diet Coke rots your guts, teeth and mind. Sugar poisons you, sweetener and processed foods can give you cancer and smoking, well we all know about that one don't we?

So with this all information. This common knowledge and armed with 12 years of sobriety behind me, a spiritual 12 step programme and a reasonable IQ why do I do the following:

• Stay up until 1 or 2am then have to get up at 6.30am ( I just cant get to bed early, it's like I have an in built resistance to sleep)
• Drink copious amounts of tea with sweetener to get me going and provide my fix
• Neck between 2-6 cans of diet coke a day
• Smoke on average 20 cigarettes from morning to night
• Eat tins of tuna or chicken salad and pork scratchings rather than cook
• Munch on several packs of sweet tasting sugar free gum a day.
• Stop meditating
• Use gym sporadically

It's insane. But I'm locked in it. Unable or unwilling to change. I've written about it before so I will spare you the dull rehashing of old ground.

But it's even more mental when you have a new job that involves commuting and committing to the office and new task every day. And one I'm enjoying!

Every day I tell myself to change only to fall back into familiar old habits, routines and behaviours. It's like I'm stupid or something. A few days of feeling OK and I'm back doing what I always do. I hope I can change it before the wheels fall off. Why must I cane myself? It's self sabotage of the highest order.

Still, I got 6 hours last night, didn't meditate mind but only drank 1 diet coke. An improvement on the previous day. Some days are better than others.

The other problem I have is that I seem to wake up at midnight. Always have. I feel it a waste to get in from work/meeting/gym at 10pm, then go to bed. Instead I eat a little, write a little, then it's nearly midnight, I've woken up by now and it's time for 'Me time', which usually involves watching TV or something on the computer I shouldn't. Relaxation time usually takes me to around 1 or 2, then it's to bed and the whole cycle starts again.

However instead of being gloomy and resigned like  I used to be, I'm now aware of it and I have faith/hope it can change. I'm more optimistic. You have to be otherwise life really would be a long barrel of piss. It's not. I think it's rather good actually. Best not try and kill myself with my habits then hey? Now that really would be rather foolish

Together We Are Stronger

Nicholas Evans