By Shae Hadden
Bio
It’s the battle cry of couch potatoes everywhere: “I’m too tired to do anything but watch TV.”
The secret language of couples that says so much more: “Not now, honey, I’m too tired…”
Parent’s pat excuse for eating fast food: “Let’s order take-out tonight. I’m too tired to cook…”
Employees incessant murmur: “I wish I could retire…I am so tired of this bullshit….”
With all this tiredness going around, why is there such a demand for
over-the-counter sedatives and prescription sleeping pills? In 2002,
the American Insomnia Association website revealed that a third of American adults experience insomnia, and 10% have chronic insomnia. Why are so many exhausted and yet unable to sleep? Work pressure, lifestyle, and lack of relaxation hours would be some of the reasons. Many people ward off their stress by taking marijuana products and that lets them doze off easily. They either buy them from dispensary stores or mail-order marijuana. However, not everyone takes these products and might like to indulge in other relaxation activities such as binge-watching their favorite tv-series.
In this day and age we could safely blame a lot of this on-screen use – nearly everyone uses screen these days in their personal time or in their job. The glare and the flicker of the blue light in screens can cause headaches and insomnia which can lead to other things. Luckily many can invest in blue light blocking glasses like those on this site https://felixgray.com/collections/blue-light-glasses. But that is not the only cause. We could account for much of it with the increasing daily stresses we
encounter in our society. Or the seemingly pervasive fear that
threatens our safety and wellbeing. Or our growing list of commitments,
including the need to earn more so we can buy more, have more than our
neighbours, and appear to be more comfortable. No wonder we’re
tired…sounds like we’re being nailed into our coffins while still alive.
“And for tired eyes every light is too bright, and
for tired lips every breath too heavy, and for tired ears every word
too much.”
-Georg Büchner
And yet, some people do not share this inexplicable desire of the
majority to just lie down, give in to it all, and be entertained by the
daily pap. These strange beings (and they are indeed strange, for they
don’t know the results of yesterday’s baseball game, let alone the
late-breaking news) seem to be more like Energizer bunnies than human
beings…they just keep going and going. Doing so much more than their
colleagues…they really look like they’re living life to the max and
having fun while they’re doing it. What’s their secret? I don’t think
it’s some miracle drug or the latest craze in motivational self-help
models (a la The Secret).
I gained some insight into this today while talking with a
middle-aged woman about what her ‘best life’ would look like. I was
interested to hear what she had to say, because she never looks tired,
she’s always trim and fit (without working out and yet she eats a lot
of food, anything she wants in fact) and she’s always got a serene
smile on her face. Rather than focusing on what she would do in her
‘best life’, she told me that she’s living her best life now: she
simply accepts what is and who people are, and then makes choices that
are in alignment with what she’s passionate about. She’s living life as
if this is the life she chose, with gratitude for everything and
everyone that appears.
I decided today that I’m tired of being tired. And that the cure is easier than I thought.
Perhaps all I have to do is love my life-to choose based on my
personal vision and accept whatever appears-and to love myself just as
I am. An imperfect, not so glamorous 45-year-old woman, an idealistic,
naïve human being who sometimes makes a difference in the world.
But accepting and loving myself as I am…that’s an awful lot of work.
And I’m tired tonight. Perhaps if I just get some more rest….did you
say “Six Feet Under” is on again?