Scientific proof of lost mojo!

I am a big fan of the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. It was one of the first books I read in 2010 and ended up being one of the best. Moms need to manage change all the time so I highly recommend the book–for more details you can check out my full Amazon review.

But for now I am thinking of Switch because I came across an online post by Dan Heath reminding us that Self-Control is Exhaustible. Yes, that’s scientific proof that a heavy requirement for self-control in one area exhausts us in other areas. This video in Dan Heath’s Fast Company post explains this phenomenon.

For me this is a helpful reminder that what looks like laziness is often exhaustion. What a reassuring thought–one that can save us from piling on self-criticism when we are going through tough times.

So what’s the solution? For me right now I have to honor the fact that life is complicated and really tiring. That may mean it is important to curl up in bed with a good book on a Saturday afternoon or take a nap, rather than squeezing in one more activity. When I was two years into being a Mom I had accumulated a “sleep debt” that I literally had to pay back by going to bed at 9:30 every night for several months. After all I have gone through this year I am experiencing a different kind of energy debt, one that I am trying to recharge by allowing myself to rest and making sure spend a little bit of time each day doing things that are really for myself, even if it’s just playing piano for 15 minutes each day.

We all know that holiday season itself can be overstimulating, so I wish you peace as you navigate the next couple of weeks that are far from a normal time of year no matter how you slice it.