When Jeff left, I was a little bit apprehensive. I don't really like staying by myself. I have an overactive imagination and am quite good at scaring myself senseless imagining terrifying scenarios. I was afraid I would get no sleep the whole time he was gone and my heart would be constantly racing. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and I ended up quite impressed with myself. I had to make changes to my habits, but they worked and I don't think I ever freaked out once the 6+ weeks I was alone at home. These changes included:
1. Always keeping the door locked. Usually when we are out, we only lock the bottom lock, but I took to locking both, and as soon as I got home, I would lock all the locks plus put on the chain, which we usually never do until we're heading to bed.
2. Not watching shows that would stir up my imagination. I planned to really limit my TV watching while Jeff was gone, but I ended up watching as much, if not more, than when he's home. The house just seemed so quiet there by myself that a lot of the time I had it on just for some company. But I was picky about what I watched. NFL and college basketball. Some funny/family sitcoms. Some reality TV. The Daily Show. Definitely no crime type shows. Normally, I enjoy the show Medium, but I didn't watch it once while Jeff was gone because it can be kind of creepy. What I did realize as I monitored my TV was how many commercials are inappropriately placed. For instance, I'd be watching a show like Amazing Race or NFL football, which I consider to be family friendly, when a commercial for CSI or some other crime show comes on showing some grisly footage. Or a commercial for an upcoming horror film. Not appropriate. Thank goodness for DVR, so I could speed through most commercials.
3. Falling asleep on the couch. The first night, Jeff was gone, I went to bed as usual and ended up laying there most of the night unable to sleep. I wasn't scared really, but my mind was just overactive. So after that I started laying down on the couch with the lights off and the TV low and falling asleep there. There was no pressure to fall asleep and the TV kept my mind from wandering other places. Then when I woke up, usually around 12:30 or 1:00, I was tired enough that I could just go back to bed and fall right to sleep.
I think those three things really helped me get in a routine that worked, keeping me from freaking out. That's not to say that there weren't times when I checked under the bed or in the closets, but I didn't have to sleep with a baseball bat next to my bed, which was Jeff's original suggestion when he left.
The good news, however, is that I can go back to my old ways today because Jeff is getting home in less than three hours! I can't wait to see him. It will be so nice to have him back home.
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