The copyedit of Wildfire is done and sent off. We have work to do. We have to update the site, we have to start working on other projects, we have to… yeah, I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to write, I don’t want to knit, I don’t want to paint, I don’t want to do anything. I have two new games to play, one of them being Mass Effect Andromeda, which isn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be so far, but is not as good as I hoped. I don’t want to play them either.
Gordon offered to go somewhere for a weekend for a mini vacation. Nope, don’t want to do that either.
You know what I did today? I cleaned the shelves in the built in in the kitchen.
It was a very labor-intensive copyedit, but I shouldn’t be this fried.
Do you have days when you just don’t want to do anything?
I think it’s normal to feel like that. You’ve worked non stop over the last year or so. Magic Binds, One Fell Sweep. white Hot and Wildfire.Your brains must feel like mush. It’s no wonder you have a case of The I can’t Be’s. I think when you have a long stressful stretch of work the brain shuts down a bit to recharge and it leaves you feeling lethargic.
*keels over* YES! I am getting the house ready for market, which has meant four months of packing most personal things away, rearranging furniture, painting, fixing things, and stressing over the market in our area. The past week has been a blur of deep intensive cleaning. Like, hands and knees scrubbing baseboards cleaning. I can’t write, can’t art, can’t read, can’t play Wow…any spare moment I have has involved me either sitting there in a fugue state or sleeping. Thank God for audiobooks, or I’d be going truely nuts.
Hope you recover soon!
Yep. I hit the recliner, pull the heated throw up over my chin, and turn on New Age music. What I wish for is someone to provide me with constant snacks and liquids, but dog and spouse give me side-eye.
I don’t want to make decisions, plan, or be responsible for anything on days like today.
Been there done that so many times, they might have to resort to extreme measures to get me out of this house.
Yes, its usually Saturdays. Work weeks are tough lately and sleeping in then sitting in bed doing nothing in particular is bliss.
Yes, dear. Finally went to a naturopathic doctor. Low thyroid and adrenal fatigue. Now taking a low dose thyroid prescription , adrenal supplements four other supplements , and trying to get more sleep. Makes a big difference. My primary care dr really didn’t have a clue!
Good choice! Natural choices take longer to work but supporting your body is way better than just covering up symptoms. I even switched to a natural thyroid tablet about four years ago and feel much better on it. Synthroid dried my eyes out something terrible if I had too much, I could always tell if my level was off. Stress really messes with adrenals.
Sure do have that feeling… although usually it comes up when there is something I know I should be doing that I don’t want to, and I can’t give myself permission to do or enjoy anything else until it is done… the rest of the time I find going for a hike helps.
I hope the other game you have to play is Horizon Zero Dawn. My husband is really enjoying it and I think it’s right up your alley.
I’m not Ilona, but I checked it out and it looks really interesting, too bad its only for Playstation four.
My husband and I are really enjoying this game too.
haha, I think it is the House’s subtle way of notifying me that i’ve put off chores for too long. So it makes me feel like doing nothing but staying home…and when i’m home, i notice all the chores i’ve put off, so i start doing them, because just lazying around (esp in good weather) seems wasteful. Also, spring cleaning!
I do have days like that! I usually just do something like sit around and watch Big Bang Theory so I can laugh and not have to concentrate : ). I am also playing Mass Effect Andromeda and I agree, not as bad as people said but not as good as Dragon Age Inquisition .
I have *weeks* where that happens. Or…I guess a day like that were I force myself or duties force me to do things that just exhaust me and then the day turn into more days and then weeks and I am just burnt out on…nothing.
I either take of day of lazy (and feeling guilty) and end up feeling better for it.
Absolutely. It’s when I’m “fried”. I stay in Jammies all day, read a book or watch cartoons, don’t really talk to people because that takes too much effort and take naps all day. Maybe go for a walk with my dog in the park or on the beach. Get take out for dinner since I’m not up for cooking that day either. It’s “recharging”:) Usually by the next day I’m up to taking on the world.
As others have mentioned, those of us in darker/colder climes are struggling with lots of bleh days. I had one bleh day that was soooo spectacularly bleh that I also didn’t want to read anything…. watch anything… play anything… go anywhere or do anything except mope.
I ended up calling a friend and talking about silly non-important stuff. Sometimes when these Uber Meh days descend upon me I will let myself have a “spa” day at home. Nice warm bath with some scented bath salts or bubble bath, music, face or eye mask, and candles instead of the ceiling light. Sometimes I just take a walk somewhere pretty (or just down the street or something). I find that when I’m bleh and meh it’s sometimes because I’m restless.
Yep, sure do. When I do, I find a favorite book, usually a funny one, and chocolate something with a nice warm cup of coffee. Then I curl up in the warmest room in the house, under a nice soft blankey and just read the day away. The book has to be a light, amusing one. I don’t even want to think, so no angst-ridden story for me.
The French term for this is Ennui (“ahn-nwee”). I hate that feel when I literally do not want to do anything, including doing nothing. I hope it passes quickly for you!
What a great way to put it – I do not want to do anything including doing nothing. Sometimes that last part is the most frustrating. You don’t want to do nothing but can’t find anything you want to do!
All. The. Time. Hope things improve.
Absolutely. Days where I don’t want to go anywhere, watch anything, read anything.
Hopefully your days of “meh’ passes quickly. If you were up here in the still snowy north — I’d suggest sun treatments — but you can catnap in the sun out where you are — assuming no nasty bugs yet? 🙂
I blame it on spring fever and cold weather. Hopefully, we will all get out of our bleh moods soon.
Yes. Current events are sucking juice out of me.
Roger that!
Preach.
I’ve been going pretty non-stop since January outside of work plus I’m an introvert who works in retail. So much “not enough recovery time” happening right now. Today I really don’t want to do anything except lay in my hammock and maybe read or just blank out. The weather here in Austin has been spectacular this week. But instead I have to plan tonight and tomorrow’s practices instead and outline next week’s training goals. I love coaching, I love my job, but I need a break!
So here, lack of government legislation caused a real estate bubble which has lead to high real estate prices 1.2 million for a house, 500,000 for condos average. And a rental availability rate of 1% Then legislation came in and now sales are down meaning the new company that bought us last year has cut all the people in my department’s hours back by 2 days a month. Isn’t getting better so there will be layoffs of staff. The co. Also has stupid idea move 1/2 our department to another city increasing my commute time by 2 hours each day. My ex wife whom I’ve known for over 35 years is now in full care dying from early onset dementia as a result of brain damage from a car accident she was in and may not live much longer at age 54. And yay I’m being demovicted. Meaning they’re going to tear down my building to put up shiny new condos for foreign investors who won’t live in them or rent them out. I’m supposed to be working on props and a website to promote fundraising for my indie film and now look for a new job and a new place to live. I wake up in the mornings on the weekends and just go back to sleep. Motivation, what’s that?
Aww yes I feel it sometimes too. I hate it but sometimes I just sit there with no energy to do anything – literally a bump on a log.
I use to call them the “lost days”. I gave up feeling guilty (as I used to do) and just took care of myself. I did whatever made me feel good at that moment, on that day.
I even used to give my kids an occasional day to breathe free. We used to call that a “Mental Health Day”. Not often, and usually it was a surprise, they’d get a day off from school to do something they wanted to do, be it silly, frivolous or important. I can hear teachers screaming from here….however, in my opinion, they were always the better for it. It was rare to manage it in HS as the demands were so intense it was hard to find a day they could enjoy that they didn’t feel more pressured by the choice of not being in school.
Do what you need to do and enjoy it.
As I retired high school teacher I can tell you that some of us did take a sick day as a mental health day. When you’re up to your ears in marking, lesson planning, and administratia add some teen age angst (roomful of 16 year olds) one day of met can turn into many days of nonproductivity so a mental health day helped.
Firm believer in Mental Health days regardless of age or occupation. And it sounds better than Hooky Day!! (LOL)
I have done it with my kids as well.
I am lucky to have been with my company long enough that I get more than the standard 2 weeks. I hoard those extra days to use as Mental Health days when the vacation is too far away and there are no long holiday weekends in the immediate future.
Yes, I put one of your audio books on my headphones and then escape into some mindless task. Mindless so that I can concentrate on the world you are pouring into my ears while doing something I really don’t like doing. Your cleaning shelves is the perfect example of mindless. Now find yourself a book/world that you enjoy visiting and take yourself a “mind vacation.”
By the way, crafting can be “mindless.” I have not found one, yet, that doesn’t have the repetition factor that skips complete concentration. When you get to where you do need to pay attention, you can just turn the mp3 player off for a while.
May I respectfully suggest getting a massage? It’s good for stress, it feels great, and nothing is required of you except to lay there and enjoy.
I second the motion! Research has revealed that in addition to the expected effect of the massage, endorphins are released in both the client and the therapist. So perfect to offset the physical effects of hunching over the computer doing edits, and even more perfect to offset the Mehs. 🙂
Yes. I work in a technology environment and no matter how much you do, there is always some more that needs to be done, whether it’s deadline installation, an upgrade, an emergency, and on and on it goes. Eventually, you hit a wall. And I realize taking a time out for yourself is not a bad thing. Depending on the season, I’ll decompress by spending time planting a few flowers or starting seeds of my favorite vegetables or maybe bird watching out the window or my newer hobby of coloring. I really enjoy watching the effects of blending the soft core colored pencils and seeing the creativity that’s been hiding to reveal itself.
Sometimes, when I’m off work, I’ll do absolutely nothing that I would consider productive. Just putter around and wait for my “batteries” to recharge. 🙂 Eventually, you get your second wind.
You and Gordon take care of yourselves.
I have days where I cannot conceive of doing anything. This happens more often if the weather is cold and cloudy or I have been traveling regularly and am finally home. Or I don’t want to do anything except read my comfort books….
What is the other game?
Yes. That is one I pull out a book by a favorite author – usually Ilnoa Andrews – and become a hermit. Enjoy your mental vacation.
Yes, but I usually have some energy to read or color. I love my colored pencils.
Definitely. It happens when you’re tapped out. Just because this edit of Wildfire wasn’t so bad doesn’t mean you aren’t tapped out–even just as a blog reader, I know you’ve both been running hard for quite a while now, and I’m sure there have been many other things in your lives that never made it to the blog! I’ve found that taking a day or two to get caught up on sleep, and then absolutely forcing myself to go do something I usually enjoy (so maybe taking that mini-vacation, for you, or going out for the day in town to places you like) helps reset me. I have to force myself to do it (or sometimes my husband just decides and gets us all out of the house 🙂 ), but it helps once I do!
Totally understand having the “Meh’s”. Usually I try and go with the flow as I feel I probably need the break. If I have to do things, I give myself mini breaks and little rewards.
I read to relax (of course!) That’s why I’m hungrily waiting for your next book ?. I just finished the last book in th Cemetery Queen series by Amanda Stevens. Have you read her? It’s about a cemetery restorer who can see ghosts. Very spooky and creepy. Fun, fun. Enjoy your rest.
Oh, yes. So much yes. And the worst thing is that I don’t want to do a thing and yet I need to do anything, since I am unable to just be idle. And everything is annoying – books, tv shows, crocheting, nature, people. I would just sleep and not talk with anyone but can’t sleep since it’s impossible to sleep for days and not wake up (hello, empty stomach!). So, I empathize.
Yes. I’ve promised myself if I can make it through this week I can go for a long Sunday drive and look at wildflowers–if I can make myself get up on Sunday, that is…
Take care. Maybe a nice tall glass of iced tea?
When I have one of those days I usually reread one of my favorite books, many of which are yours. A new book won’t work, it has to be something I’ve read before so I already know the ending and can just relax all the way through it. I find that very comforting. Hope you feel more lively soon. You definitely work too hard!
I read your books.
Just finished day two on 6 hrs of sleep total so I could study for a political science, animal science, and an organic chemistry test I had today. I completely understand the feeling of not wanting to do anything haha
Yes. Sometimes you just need a lay back and just chill day. I’m so ready to start playing Andromeda but I’m waiting a bit for all the criticism slow down. Anyhow, thanks for such good stories. Take a break you deserve it! :o)
This right here just cements why you’re one of my favorite authors of all time. My gaming soulmate! Lol. Anywho, ME: Andromeda has been fun combat-wise, but you’re right. Definitely isn’t sucking me in completely like the other three games. When the baby was napping today, instead of gaming, I did yard-work. ?
Maybe it’s spring fever?? The sun did finally came out for us poor Portlanders…. ?
Just like today 😀
Of course. I’m under a ton of stress as we’re hitting the end of the school year. Parents of 8th graders are freaking out, I’m planning trips, a musical, music for Mass every week, interesting lesson plans for the whole school, a talent show where everyone gets to participate, meetings after school (I live 30 miles away), we’re trying to get the house ready to sell, packing, finding a contractor that will call us back and take our money, oh and people want me to do this and that and this child over here freaked out and….
My plate is full. So full. I was playing trumpet for a colleague’s band because his main trumpet player won’t be there for the concert. It’s sinus season and I forgot. Started playing and detonated something in my skull. I barely made it home. Next day I was teaching my classes from a chair because if I tried to walk I got nauseated. I decided to stay home today. I have NEVER taken a sick day (almost impossible as a teacher). But today, I’m home, it’s raining and I’m going to do nothing but heal. My skull can only take so much.
oh, totally. on those days, I camp out on the couch, eat breakfast all day, and either watch something brainless (hello, project runway!) or lose myself in books. the book depends on my mood, but generally rereading a favorite – you guys, john sandford, jk rowling, patricia briggs, mercedes lackey… – where I am revisiting an already loved story and characters.
eventually, I get disgusted with my own sloth and come creeping out again, but that can take days.
1st time commenting, love your books! My husband started the Mass Effects game as well but everyone says the new Zelda game is THE hottest game right now (though that requires the Switch).
I definitely have days when I don’t want to do anything. For me, normally those days are due to either burn out or procrastination. Take it easy and relax (please don’t burn out because as I mentioned I love your books :).
I think it is a way our bodies say, “Enough! I am making you listen to me! All systems are down. ” and then we collapse. Sometimes, it can be ugly, like, hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way down to the hard ground, ugly. We are constantly engaging our fight or flight instinct so our relaxation response is naturally weaker.
It is healthy and necessary to slow down, redirect and allow ourselves to be fully in the moment. Sadly, that is harder than it seems. We have this need to make things complicated because we don’t want to believe the solution is something so simple as taking a deep breath. Do we need the high anxiety of motivation and deadlines? Absolutely, but not all the time. Music, chamomile- lavender tea with honey, fuzzy socks, cats, the Calm app on your phone, whatever makes your inner voice say, “Ahhhhhhh, this is nice…” won’t make problems disappear but is will allow you to return to them stronger than you were.
Before I retired I would usually feel like that when I was off work. On weekends I had to push myself to do the stuff that needed to be done around the house. I loved to take a day of vacation just to sit and read or watch TV or sleep. I was lucky that my job was generous with vacation days and sick leave. You acquired more hours the more years you put in so I eventually could take a day to recharge whenever I felt the need.
Good time to get a massage, mani-pedi, facial and haircut. A full-day pampering session.
Lately, I find the weather dictating the days I find myself muh! I’m so ready for Spring. The past several days were beautiful 60’s-60’s. I accomplished so much: cooking, spring cleaning, buying summer clothes for the kiddos and getting the kids out of the house. Today I wake up it’s cold & 45, raining, and gray outside. I declared it PJ day. I couldn’t motivate myself to do anything. I do have Rheumatoid Arthritis and the cold/rain increase my pain.
PS Throughout my Spring cleaning I discovered my family hordes the other 11 mouth out of the year. I need a professional organizer.#overwhelmed
I’ve noticed that if there are enough “should”s my brain turns into a wall of NO and then nothing happens.
… should do the laundry, should pick up around the house, should do the dishes, should send a package, should post to instagram…. = Nope.
I think should is a dangerous word that should (ahem) be only used for the critical life-giving life-maintaining things. Like, make it to work. Like, don’t work outside of work (and you have my deepest sympathy that you have to figure out where that line is drawn every single day. Decisions like that are exhausting). Eating once a day.
Everything else really is optional.
So if the fague hits, let it ride. And if it lasts an abnormally long time, look into it. But everyone has a disproportionally-tired-today kinda days every once in a while.