Strikes n Gutters, 22 April 2025

Today was kind of a mess, but not necessarily bad. I woke up late feeling like garbage shit warmed up because I was up until 4am last night hoping to see the lyrids meteor shower. Unfortunately, it was overcast all night, so I didn't even get to see it.

Because of the lack of sleep, I had a lot of trouble getting started this morning. I ended up with my face in my phone for an hour or two instead of starting on my morning workout. However, when I noticed this was happening, I found that I wasn't completely helpless in the face of the incredible urge to keep scrolling. It wasn't instantaneous, but with some effort I managed to remind myself that I am perfectly capable of spending as much time on my phone as I want after some exercise. I took my slippers off, as I always do before beginning my warm-up yoga, and the rest just kind of happened on its own. I think I've been doing this long enough that my brain recognizes it as a cue to start stretching. So, even though I wasn't as productive as I'd have liked to be this morning, I have yet another experience to point to when I need to remind myself that I am not beholden to that little voice that says things like "oh, but yoga takes such a long time, wouldn't you rather check your phone/play a video game instead
?" Personally, I think it's really important to internalize the idea that you are not helpless.

I worked out really hard again today, and I really enjoyed it. I haven't been giving myself enough recovery time, though, and I paid the price for it. I went for an 18-minute walk to end my routine, and by the time I got back I was shaking all over. It took over 30 minutes of rest for it to stop. I've never had something like that happen before, and I think it's a sign that I've overdone it a little. I felt better after taking a really long, really hot shower, but now I'm too tired to get anything else done. The good news is I should come back even stronger after a couple rest days!

I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get much else done today, but I'm happy with the exercise I put in, and I'm definitely going to ensure I get more sleep the next few days.

You know what's really funny? Now that I'm here I have absolutely no desire to check my phone. Truly something, huh?

tags: workouts phone-addiction sleep yoga