Thursday 22 August 2013

The Little Things...



Sometimes it is the little things that get you through the day.

As I get older, my condition declines and I often have days where I wake up tired, my muscles don’t want to work and getting through the day is a fight.  Living off of sheer will-power…!

It is on these ‘will-power’ days that the little details are so important and one such detail for me is my Google Calendar.

The tiredness has definitely increased since I’ve finished work and it is difficult to distinguish between feeling tired and lack of motivation.  Is the reason I find it harder to get up in the morning because I really feel tired or is it just because I know that I do not have to go to work?  No longer working, I can honestly say that I am never bored.  There is always something for me to do, be it cross stitch or reading or visiting with friends, going to the cinema, watching Syfy or spending time with my family.  However my Google calendar has become a very important part of my daily life.  This is not because I have so many plans I have to write them down for fear I will forget them.  It is because I want to feel that I have lots to do in my life.  I know that my life is worth while and (I hope!) I am a valued member of my family and I have some very good friends who want to spend time with me and I want to spend time with them.  However my Google calendar is a visual recognition of this.  It not only reminds me what I’m doing and when but also reminds me that I do have things to do, there are things for me to get up for and I have purpose in my life.  It provides written proof that I have ‘things’ to motivate myself for.

I firmly believe that although, without my Google calendar, I would be living my life exactly the same, the way in which I use it definitely improves my quality of life and my confidence.  Even though keeping track of what I’m doing is such a small thing, to be able to see exactly what I have done and what I have got to look forward to is such an important part of my day and keeps me motivated.

Tiredness can come in different forms, mental and physical and it is physical tiredness that affects me.  Unfortunately there is nothing I can do.  There is no medication and sometimes no amount of rest will make me feel any better, however the one thing that I hang onto on the bad days is that there will be good days.

Sometimes the small thing that gets you through the day can be a lifeline.  The obsessive compulsiveness of a calendar, a partner, watching your favourite film…their importance should NEVER be underestimated!