Dear adulthood,

You sure are exhausting. Gone are the childhood daydreams of growing up to be something superawesomefun and living lives of fanciness. What’s left? Exhaustion. Traffic. Nasty customers. It’s not all bad because I still love my job and what I do, but back-to-school season is our busy time and the emails, phone calls, requests, DEMANDS never stop! So, by the time I get home I am ready to drop.

I thought this kind of exhaustion would end with college. All-nighters. Reading non-stop. Driving to campus on 20 minutes of sleep to hand in a paper freshly written the night before. Nope. Not even close. Instead of passing out from lack of sleep, now I pass out from being overworked and stressed by a long commute and too many emails. Dare I say I almost miss the all-nighters?

Now I go to bed at 10pm, get up before 7am, recognize the other early morning regulars at Starbucks, know at which mile markers traffic usually starts… What a glamorous life. Isn’t it funny how your views change over time? When I was little I couldn’t wait until adulthood. After high school I couldn’t wait for the freedom of college. After college I was excited to not have to stay awake for days upon end to write a thesis. Now here I am, a 9-5er with a workweek full of monotony. I would give anything to go back to those three previous stages of my life for just a day. The grass is always greener I suppose.

So in an attempt to cut some stress and put a little more pep in my step, I write this blogpost and dedicate it to those who, like me, run the rat race in hopes of climbing the ranks to greatness. There are a few things that make me feel a little more spunky in the morning.

Sleeping with this pillow. Maybe I love it because I used to manage a durable medical equipment office, but I can honestly say that this pillow makes my life so much better. I don’t know about you, but constant computer use makes my neck horribly tight. This pillow is one of my saving graces because its design cradles my neck perfectly and alleviates morning neck stiffness. Other awesome anti-neckpain products include:

You’re probably familiar with ThermaCare, but I’m sure Salonas looks a little foreign. There is an American version of this, but it’s not as good as the one from the Philippines. It’s like a liquidy icy hot with some kind of illegal menthols in it. Whatever it is, it works amazingly. You might be able to get it at your local Filipino grocery or just cozy up to a friend who has some connections in the Philippines.

 

Juicing! I drink a trenta iced coffee from Starbucks every morning, but I realized that green juice mornings give me a little boost of energy. I don’t know if it’s the anti-oxidants or the sugars in the fruits, but it works!

 

Morning yoga. Getting up earlier is slightly horrific and morning yoga might sound equally vile, but I assure you it is divine. It wakes up all your muscles and gets your blood flowing. Not only is it good for you, but it is good for your day! Your muscles will be looser, you might sit up a little straighter, and that dreaded back pain literally everyone in the world has from sitting too much will start to go away. I swear! Mine is not as bad anymore!

Heed my advice and make one change and I bet you might feel a little bit better during your workweek! The traffic and the stress might not go away, but your morning might be a little brighter. Let’s get our mind body in shape together and I’m sure it will affect our workweek positively! Maybe we won’t look back longingly if we make the best of our place in life and love the present! Aloooooha!