Get Some Sleep. Get Real.

"The 5am club." "Sleep when I'm dead." "You snooze you lose." "Hustle hard."

You think this is macho? It's not.

In my younger years, I spent some time living the freelancer life. My bedroom was my office & as the pizza boxes & cans of Red Bull piled up, I lost track of time. Day became night & night became day. I would only hop off my chair & stumble 3 feet to my sofa bed when my eyes were red, stinging & painful. I was invincible.

4 hours of sleep each night, poor diet, no sunlight. My bank account began to grow, but then, something happened.

I had 6 hours of sleep in a 4 day period. One morning I woke up, tried to roll out of bed. It didn't happen. I blacked out & fell on the floor. I woke up again, my heart was pounding & my arms were tingling.

I was sick, depressed & so fatigued that all the money in the world couldn't make me happy.

Then, I visited my doctor...

Tomorrow. Part 2. 

Part 2. Continuation of yesterday's post

I was prescribed a few anti-depressants, to help me sleep & regulate function.

Tests revealed I had reduced oxygen levels in my blood. My immune system was shot to pieces. Cells were not regenerating as they should. Not news I wanted to hear. I had to do something & do it quick smart. 

I walked into the Cardiologists waiting room. I was a third the age of everyone else there. The female assistant placing the ECG on my body said "I wish all my patients were as young as you." That was a non-flirtatious compliment. 

I refused to take any medication & instead forced myself to walk everyday & go back to basics with food. I also reached out to people I hadn't spoken to in a while. 

Gradually, I saw improvement. It was a result of:

• Regular exercise. Simple exercise.

• Balanced diet & understanding which foods are good for your body.

• Healthy relationships with people who can lift you up, indirectly.

• Understanding your own worth & purpose.

• Appreciating how fragile life can be.

Get some sleep. Get real.

Get help if you need it.

Have a great weekend.