Coping With Overstimulation
Welp, I have broken my WeblogPoMo streak by several days now. This bothers me because while I missed a few days here or there, I was hoping to be consistent with my posts. Unfortunately, real life got in the way. You can already guess by the title alone.
I'm still adapting to my new job, and also took on an extra day of work (up from three days a week to four) to help with bills and other expenses. Unlike my previous job, it is a far more active role. It is, thankfully, less intense than my other stocking jobs, in that I don't do nearly as much heavy lifting. I am also primarily in the back of the house, so to speak. On the downside, it's also hot and humid back there, as the air just doesn't circulate as well as the main floor.
So combined with the current demands, the heat toll, and nine hour shift, I come home deadass tired, and need more time to wind down. Normally that would be compounded by the social aspect of working, which I still have to do to an extent. I am glad to have coworkers who don't stress me out or have little in common with, like previous jobs. But I still have to manage some minor conflicts, either between me or from watching my coworkers clash. Nothing too dramatic at the moment, but the fellas got pretty heated over pizza, sports, and Batman.
But when the conversation tilts in favor of something I'm familiar with (such as horror!) I am in my element and can even contribute. One of my coworkers is a horror fan and knows a lot about the lore of Jason and Michael Myers. It's...a very nice change of pace. Doesn't help mitigate the post-work exhaustion, but it makes the day better.
When I come home, I like to unwind by playing one of my idle games, and Factory Town Idle has been my go to lately. Normally I'd be fine after an hour or two, which used to be ample time before my girlfriend came home at four. But I get off at three now, and don't get home until 3:30 most days. I still need to shower, feed the cats, and give Lily her medication before I can sit down at my computer.
That's...not enough time to actually relax. I love my girlfriend, but I need time alone to recharge my social battery. It's also why I go through my ritual of watching my favorite Youtubers (ManlyBadlyAssHero, Spilling The Milk, to name a few) before writing.
On my days off, I have more time to write, and don't need the down time. For the last few days and even my day off on Sunday, I spent more time trying to recover from my work days. I'm not quite at burnout (believe me, I've been there and it sucks), but I would be absolutely miserable if I had to work full-time. That's what happens every time I work forty hours a week, because I don't feel like I have a life.
And while living paycheck to paycheck sucks, I'm happiest when I'm making less money. Cause I know I can also recoup that by little side gigs I can do from the comfort of my own home.
Right now, I need to make up for lost time, in terms of writing. I barely had the energy to write for my web novel and WIPs, and that kills me because writing is such an important part of my life. It helps my mental health and is an excellent creative outlet. I'm going to focus more on last Train Home for the next few days, and try to wrap up this first draft of this Early Adopter book. I'll catch up on my favorite shows (Twin Peaks and G Gundam!) in the meantime.
Music plays a big role in my life as well, and goes hand in hand with walking meditation for me. Everything else requires a bit more energy than I can expend, which unfortunately includes audiobooks (and even traditional reading is too much at times). At this very moment, I'm about to head outside to reset my allergies and get some spins in for Pokemon Go.
