Have you ever had one of those days where you have absolutely no energy? Y’know, like a Monday kinda day. Things are dragging on and the thought of trying to make it through the rest of the day is almost more than your brain can handle. You simply want to crawl back into bed and stay there.

Sometimes I think I’ve been having one of those years. Maybe it’s because I am now in my 30s and I’m not as young as I used to be. I’ve been struggling over recent months trying to motivate myself to just get through the day.

Last year, I was told I had been exposed to mononucleosis.  For anyone who has had this, you know how mind numbing the exhaustion is. I mean, I often have days where I’m not quite rested and it’s hard to get moving, but those days are nothing like mono. I would get up, get dressed, and then collapse onto the couch, trying to muster up enough energy to drive to work. The mere thought of taking another step was just too much.

After being diagnosed with it, I made a point to take some time to rest. And I had to really rest. Not just an afternoon, but for days. I rested over a weekend and felt much better and resumed life as normal, at full speed. Within two days, I was dead again. It was back to the couch for me for several more days. I was told by someone who had had mono before that they didn’t rest as they should have, and ended up being out of work for three weeks to recover. After hearing that, I made a point to take it easy.

Even after the worst part of it was over,  I struggled to get my energy back. I took it easy, not attempting exercise or strenuous activity for weeks. It took a long time to be able to do any amount of strenuous activity without leaving me completely winded.

I think that this past year, I’ve been struggling with emotional mono. I still struggle with exhaustion some days, but this is more than physical exhaustion. This is emotional exhaustion. I finish most days feeling wiped and collapsing into bed. I know a lot of this is from working two jobs. I feel like my mind is constantly going. If I’m not at work at the retirement community, I’m teaching music lessons, and if I’m not there, I’m thinking about ideas for either job. I often finish each day feeling as if I have nothing left.

So what’s the cure for emotional mono? Like regular mono, there’s no magic cure. A vacation, I suppose, but I just had one of those, and I’m already feeling like I need another one. For me, I need to take time daily to do things that are relaxing, soothing, and will re-energize me.  Time in coffee shops, time outside, taking pictures, reading books… these are all things that help restore my soul, so to speak. Lately, I’m discovering writing is another thing. For the 20 – 30 minutes I might take on each post, I can focus on something other than the stresses of my everyday life.

If I don’t make time every day for restful things in my life, I fear that emotional mono will take over completely and I’ll be like a walking zombie. I don’t want to get to that state, so I will take the time for me. Even if it means the laundry piles up for a little while.