Drained and Exhausted

Have you ever come to a point in your life where you wake up in the morning and realized that you need way more energy to get through the day? Well, I just did. And I’m not talking about the energy you guys can send through Facebook so you can play another round of Candy Crush or Fairy Farm. :)

WHAT CONSUMES MY ENERGY AND WHAT’S MY TYPICAL DAY LIKE?

At 6AM – Little K wakes up, and she would wake me up too by pinching or biting my nose or worse, my nipples. We’d play around for about half an hour and then I’ll get myself all clean and tidy for work.
At 7AM – My work starts at this hour until 11AM, first shift, and would resume later at night at 8PM to 12MN. This 4-hour shift usually goes interrupted; I need to breastfeed K on demand and bathe her, and I would also sneak for a breakfast, etc.
At 11AM – Preparing lunch and prepping up Dirk for school. This alone is very tiring. By 1PM, the daughter and I are alone with each other again. Playing and sleeping most of the time until her Kuya comes home from school at 4PM. The rest of the time we spend outside the house watching kids play on the street.
At 8PM – My second shift starts, but by this time little K already sleeps so I am free to do whatever I need to do for work. I also blog during this time.
At 12MN – End of work shift, time to hit the sack and dream.

Normally, an eight-hour sleep at night will get me all refreshed and energized in the morning, ready to take on the challenges of being a nurturing parent to my two kids and an efficient virtual assistant to my Boss.  Last year, I was even able to accept part-time jobs that eventually led me to working late in the evening until dawn but I never felt as drained as I feel right now.  I feel sleepy all throughout the day, even though I doze off while nursing my infant daughter and putting her to sleep.

My Mom told me that I get sleepy all the time because I’m getting fat, which is also true. Last year my weight was just around 42 to 45 kgs, but I gained too much weight during my pregnancy and left me with additional 5 to 7 kgs post-pregnancy. So it must be a combination of the two; a more hectic life and the weight accumulated over the past year.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KEEP MYSELF GOING?

Definitely more sleep and exercise, plus a healthy and balanced diet. And perhaps a few energy bars, energy drinks or energy supplements to rev up my metabolism, improve my focus and decrease exhaustion.