Anyone who knows me is likely aware of my tendency to push myself and test my limits, both physically, emotionally, and mentally. I also have a tendency to do things and get into interests/pursuits in extremes, both positively and detrimentally. When I am traveling (and in my normal day to day life) it seems I am always trying to cram 25+ hours of living into each 24 hour day. While this approach provides excitement and interesting experiences, it also begins to have its toll on a person and needs to eventually be balanced with periods of rest and recuperation. This last part is the part I have trouble with and continue to learn the hard way: getting sick from going too hard and not sleeping enough. Recently, as in the start of this trip, I again learned this lesson and ended up with a cold/sore throat and an overall less than one hundred percent constitution for a few days.
It is always important to take care of oneself and ensure one is getting adequate rest to allow one’s body to recharge and repair from the pace of life. I am beginning to see that it can be especially important to do this when traveling because of the constant changing conditions one is faced with at each destination and in between: different water, strange mealtimes, erratic sleeping patterns, new potential allergens, and unfamiliar weather. All of these things are potential stressors for our bodies to confront and can easily lead to sickness without adequate rest and care. Unfortunately this is exactly what happened to me in the first part of my current trip. Fortunately, this experience helped me learn a couple valuable lessons: (1) it is okay to sit around and do nothing while traveling at times and (2) accept that you can not do/see everything and be content with what you are able to do/see. Now that I have been able to reflect upon my first couple weeks of travel and see more clearly how I allowed myself to become so run down, exhausted, and eventually a bit sick, I realize how easily it could have been avoided if I had taken more time to give my body adequate rest and time to adjust to my changing surroundings.
My own experience is analogous to that of an athlete running a race or playing in a game/match. It is rarely a good idea to start a competition at a dead sprint as it will surely lead to fatigue and may end up hurting one’s overall performance or even costing the ‘race.’ Unfortunately this is exactly what I did on this trip. I was so excited when I started that I took off from the starting blocks going a hundred miles an hour and for the first two weeks ignored most of my body’s cues/calls to slow down and take it easier. I was so caught up in all the new experiences, milieus, people, and the familiar freedom associated with travel that I forgot to take care of some of my more basic needs. Looking back, I do not regret the way life transpired or wish I had done things differently; I do my best to live with this attitude at all times and remain free from personal contrition. From the time I was in Minneapolis/St. Paul to New Jersey/New York to D.C. to N. Carolina/Virginia, I lived hard and fast and ended up feeling burned out, tired, and in need of some serious R & R. In other words, I kicked ass during the first few laps/first quarter and then started to feel fatigued and eventually ended up puking on the sidelines (though it probably wasn’t that bad).
As I wrote previously, I do not regret the actions that led to my exhaustion and eventual (but temporary) sickness, but instead choose to learn from them and move on with my life. Since this period of reduced vitality I have made efforts to take better care of myself to improve my quality of life and overall sense of well-being. Although I still have the tendency to push myself too much, I have done much better and as a result have felt much better. As of now, then, I am just keeping one end of the candle lit and can see just fine with that. I hope this will help others relax and make sure their needs are being met. Namaste.
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