What do you do to get out of a slump?

Lately, my brain has been pretty frenetic and it’s hard to get it to calm down enough to focus and write a decent blog post. I think most of the concentrating/focus gets used up during the day, as I’ve been fairly busy at work recently redoing and updating some geomodels. It’s not bad, but there is a lot of tedium involved that takes a lot of focus and thought or you’ll be spending tomorrow redoing the work you spent today doing. This has carried over at home too, as I find I’m more prone to be tired, like really tired, and that leads to a grumpy Mr. SSC which no one enjoys having around. So my question to you is, have you gotten into these “slumps” and what did you do to get out of them? Here’s what I’ve been trying and isn’t working so far.  

What could be causing my brain drain?

Exercise?

I’ve upped the exercise game a bit from where it has been the last month. I signed up for another half-marathon in October, and am almost 3 months away from that, so I started training again. Since I let my running drop off and I was running for running’s sake and not paying attention to pace, distance, etc… I’ve started getting back into running shape.

Also, since we joined a gym a couple of weeks ago, I’ve incorporated swimming laps and kickboard workouts into this new regimen. I do 1000m mostly freestyle, and then 200m with a kickboard. I’m trying to boost my cardio more with the swimming and distance and get stronger legs with the kickboard. So far, my core and biceps seem to be reaping the benefits as they’re the only things that are sore… It helps me feel more tired, but a good tired, so I don’t think lack of exercise could be the culprit.

I feel like this after a good workout
I feel like this after a good workout

Diet?

Maybe it could be diet, but I don’t think I’ve dramatically upped my portions or changed my eating habits. I find that I can definitely eat loads of food when I get bored or anxious. Lately, it’s more of an anxious feeling all the time rather than bored. I swear it’s like my mind is a restless pacing tiger, hmm maybe more like a mouse on a wheel – constantly going, but getting nowhere. I can’t think of any diet related things that could cause that.

Maybe it's more like a lurking gator, just waiting for something to attack
Maybe it’s more like a lurking gator, just waiting for something to attack

Lack of Sunshine?

I don’t think this is it either, as I’ve gotten plenty of sunshine lately, and I’ve even gotten moved from an interior cave office into a window office again – yeah!! Lately, all I’ve been watching is a whole lot of thunderstorms which is pretty cool in my book. I’ve also been doing a decent amount of yard work and gardening, so I have been getting some sun every day, and I run outside so there’s that. Probably not a sunshine deficiency…

Sleep or Lack Thereof?

I’m not great on getting to bed early, and since I do wake up at 5:20am everyday you’d think I would go to bed early. I’m usually in bed and going to sleep by 10pm, sometimes earlier, but not usually later. I know it’s only about 7 hrs but I don’t feel like I need more sleep when I wake up and I’m not tired during the day. I do get woken up by my youngest daughter during the night at least once though. Last night was 8 times although 6 of those were within the same hr as she kept coming into the room at 10 minute intervals between 1am and 2am… She wanted a hug, or to get covered up (which I just did 10 minutes previously), or a kiss, or to tell me her knee has a boo-boo from where she fell down at school, hmm is that 6 things yet? She used to sleep so well, what happened?!

Any other thoughts, because I don’t have any. I feel like I’m just constantly frustrated but don’t know with what. That in itself is frustrating, GAH!! Hahaha, what a cycle let me tell you. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, because I don’t know what to try anymore, or stop trying.

If only I knew what to let go of....
If only I knew what to let go of….

Do you ever find yourself in these sort of slump/frenetic moods? How do you get yourself snapped out of them? I’d love to hear your suggestions!