general weirdness.

[jaina]

The show is over. I'm no longer sick. I have free time again. Everything should be going swimmingly.

...except now I can't sleep. It's been almost a week now, and it's getting old. It's so strange-- as if my body just got used to the constant exhaustion, and now that I'm not dead-tired when I go to bed, my brain thinks, "What are you doing? You have hours still that you could be awake!" And I wake up tired, and I'm sleepy periodically through the day, but come midnight I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I've Tylenol-PMed myself asleep the last few nights, because I *had* to get some sleep, but I can't and won't keep doing that. I guess I just somehow need to-- readjust.

For now, I'll try folding the laundry and doing the dishes and then seeing how I feel. Arg.

Comments

[archerrat.livejournal.com]

I had the same thing happen just after we were done shooting our movie. I suspect that the mind and body rev themselves up for a long, stress-filled period of time and then take a while to return to normal.

My only advice is to give it time. It took me a couple of weeks just to start to return to normal.

Well, whatever constitutes normal for me, that is.

[brightcupenny.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Aaron. It's immensely helpful to have input from someone who's been there. :) I hope I can get back to normal (ha!) fairly soon, because I have to be bright and cheerful and ready to deal with schoolchildren fairly early in the mornings these days.

[rosiewook.livejournal.com]

I went through this after the 9/11 and anthrax response finally wound down. Your mind and body get used to producing performance at a certain rate. It takes a while for it to settle, again.

What I tried to do is put together a bed-time ritual routine. You kinda have to decide you're going to go to bed at a certain time each night. And about an hour before, you start doing things to prepare for bed. (Starting off with a nice cup of herbal tea is a good signal.) It basically is retraining your mind into understanding that it doesn't have to keep going at the same level. So cup of tea means bed. Or taking a shower means bed. Or whatever.

Good luck!

[dm-lunsford.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think it's just a physical response. It's happened to me as well. Your body just gets used to being in that wound up, stressed mode, and when you stop it doesn't quite know how to adjust. Hang in there. It shouldn't last forever. ; )

[yav-14.livejournal.com]

Yep. Me too Caitlin. When I finished my dissertation. Took my brain a couple of weeks to settle. Hang in there.