Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday! This weekend I was feeling a little stifled by all of my commitments (that I self-inflicted and are nobody’s fault but my own). I think part of the sensation of overwhelm was coming back from vacation and thinking about my upcoming schedule. I listened to a podcast recently that helped provide some comfort, but as in my usual way, I didn’t write down the episode so you’ll have to deal with my adopted version.

The podcast, whichever it may be, was talking about measures we can take when we’re feeling anguished or that vague sense of anxiety about nothing in particular. It was a checklist the host (or guest) mentally reviews when he’s not sure why he’s feeling unsettled, and the answer is usually something on this checklist not being accounted for. So I’ll give you the first draft of my checklist and what I need to feel a sense of accomplishment and calm at the end of the day.

• Organizational: I try to tackle something in the day to help me feel organized whether that’s a daily review of my “Get To-Do List” (you can borrow that title if you’d like), or this weekend I went on a deep, early spring cleaning of my room and reorganized all my furniture. It helps reassure your brain to say there are no wandering thoughts left unaddressed.
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  Additionally, it can help you write down any of those ideas that keep you up at night so you are reassured that you won’t forget them. That way, your mind feels comfortable winding down at night, no more restless mind nights.
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• Physical: This is the elephant in the room that so easily gets ignored. When people are taking magnesium and melatonin and all these other roots and herbs to fall asleep, an often overlooked (or ignored) component is exercise.
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  This doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym or go run a marathon. It’s anything physical that gets your heart rate up. Last week on vacation, my Whoop (my watch that measures physical strain and sleep) said I had two of my highest exertion days from playing beach volleyball and a round of golf. Allowing your body to increase your heart rate and blood flow allows it to rest better at night.
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• Creative: I am torn on this component for exactly what adjective to use because I want to express the need to exercise the brain. For a while after PA school, I was convinced I needed to learn something new every day to keep my brain sharp. However, I have found that using my brain to be creative is just as effective at exercising it as learning (although I suppose truly learning something demands us to interpret and “create” new information in our minds).
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  It’s important to use our brains each day to learn or create because it keeps us sharp. We’ve all known someone who retires with no sense of purpose left and mentally declined because nothing is challenging them. Just like a muscle, if we don’t use it we lose it. And if we don’t use our brains we are bound to leave untapped energy left at the end of the day (I’m convinced that’s why some older people without a sense of purpose have trouble sleeping). So learning something or making something can help keep our brains exercised.
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Those are the primary components that I find impact whether or not I am readily able to fall asleep at night. Other secondary (maybe primary depending on who you ask) factors affecting sleep are how you ate that day, hydration, and how close to bedtime you were on a screen. I find if I scroll social media (on the weekends) before I go to bed my brain is stimulated so I need to stop 30-60 minutes before sleeping. Also if I ate a ton of junk, didn’t have enough water, or (obviously) caffeine and alcohol all negatively impact sleep.

When I’m feeling a vague sense of discomfort or anxiety in the day I make sure I review these components to make sure I have all of my checkboxes ticked off. Usually, I can pinpoint one of these as missing to identify the source of the unease. By addressing these factors I’m usually able to mollify the feeling and get to bed.
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How often do you usually address all of these components in your day? We’re human, and we’re not going to be perfect, but this is a handy checklist if you need to check in on why you’re feeling anxious at the end of the day. Use this if you’re finding yourself feeling unfulfilled or have a general sense of malaise, something here is probably missing.

If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM. Or visit https://walshwellness.weebly.com/ for older editions and if you’d like to subscribe.

This week my podcast recommendation is from Rob Dial’s The Mindset Mentor, “How Long Does It Take To Be Successful?” This was a good listen because we’re all in a rush for results (even though we know logically it will take time) and it was a good reminder that we may not always see the direct results of our progress.
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This weekend is St. Patrick’s Day, so go learn a fun fact about Ireland this weekend and enjoy some Irish soda bread or corned beef and cabbage.

Irish goodbye