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May 25, 2018

Five Minute Friday: PAUSE

Five Minute Friday

Today’s prompt: PAUSE

WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING?

Although my use of all caps here may imply yelling, that’s not exactly my intent.

I am thinking of my father-in-law asking me that when he lived with us.

He didn’t understand my quick day naps (I’m not sure I did either).

Napping has always been something I have needed.

Unfortunately, my tendency to get sleepy at inopportune times (think: meetings, when sitting in the choir loft facing the church) has led to me taking a pause when I least wanted to.

But, being home for the past four years made it a little easier to meet that need for the well-placed brief midday nap without annoying an employer, stealing time from their clock or embarrassing myself by falling asleep in front of a group.

Especially as it relates to the last four years, though, I guess mainly the three years of caregiving, I wonder if the napping wasn’t a response to the overwhelm.

I read someone talk about stress napping a few months ago and I rang true.

Maybe that’s what I’m doing, I thought.

(Although, to be fair, I’ve rarely gotten enough sleep at night so am probably in a perpetual sleep deficit to a degree.)

This article talks about stress napping. I’m not sure its premise applies to me, but it is another piece of (sweet) food for thought.

Side note: I’m listening to the Paus playlist on Spotify because themes matter!

I also often fall asleep before my plane takes off and wake up at landing. I actually love flying, but this pattern started when I was…

***end of five minutes***

…traveling for work while also caring for an infant at home (can we say exhaustion?) and seemed to get even more entrenched after 9/11. Maybe my need to avoid/escape any unpleasant effects of flying is deeper than I think. Maybe I don’t want to chat with my seatmate.

I just know that whether it’s a mental health thing, or a physical need, or some other drive, a pause through a micro-nap is something I seek often.

Five Minute Friday

Welcome to this week’s Five Minute Friday. Our instructions, via creator Kate Motaung: “Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.” (But I can’t resist spell checking, as you can imagine.)

 

Paula Kiger
Paula Kiger

Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.

Filed Under: Five Minute Friday Tagged With: Five Minute Friday, Spotify, Stress Napping

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. oncealittlegirl says

    May 25, 2018 at 4:30 pm

    I’ve never been much of a napper. Loved-One naps every day. Sleep deprived or not, if I nap, I don’t sleep well at night. According to my FitBit, I’m 98% effective at sleep. Can’t say that for much else.

    Reply
    • Paula Kiger says

      May 25, 2018 at 10:07 pm

      Ha ha ha it sounds like your FitBit is impressed with your sleep expertise!

      Reply
  2. Tara says

    May 25, 2018 at 5:57 pm

    I like my naps once in awhile. Are you an Enneagram 9; the Peacemaker? I just read a post about 9s and that they’ll fall asleep anywhere during conflict…even in the midst of an argument etc. I’m in the 35 spot.

    Reply
    • Paula Kiger says

      May 25, 2018 at 10:08 pm

      I don’t know. I haven’t taken the test. I did read about 9s and …. maybe (they’re optimists too!).

      Reply
  3. Karrilee Aggett (@KarrileeA) says

    May 26, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    Oh I WISH I was good at Power Napping! I give it a go from time to time because –well, because I love sleep! And somedays… am I right? However I have rarely if ever awakened feeling rested and refreshed! Usually a nap just takes me out of the game for the rest of the day! (Oh and yes… Stress Naps are a thing! Even though it puts me out of commission, I’ve been known to need one here and there myself!)

    Reply
    • Paula Kiger says

      May 27, 2018 at 12:00 pm

      Yeah – no matter how we respond to stress, I think we can all expect it eventually. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  4. Jacquie | Seeking Simple Life says

    May 28, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    I’m not sure if I nap, but I love to sit and pause for quiet moments. When I worked out of the home, I’d drive without the radio just to give my brain that quiet space and breathing room to let the day go. This is a great reminder that it is okay to hit pause.

    Reply
    • Paula Kiger (@biggreenpen) says

      May 28, 2018 at 7:04 pm

      It is okay — and necessary. Thank you for dropping by.

      Reply

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