Making room for rest when life with MASH gets hectic

This past month, I’ve dealt with more than the usual. I started training for an exciting new job. I got a dastardly chest cold. The winter skin itches arrived early. My daughter and I had less time together, and my partner and I barely saw each other. I did finally get all my necessary vaccinations. That’s one thing checked off the list.

Between phone calls, social gatherings, doctor appointments, and texts to my sweetie bitterly complaining about our schedules, I’ve been wiped out. Sleep, often my enemy, has come whether I wanted it to or not, sometimes when I need to pay attention and stay awake.

Last week, I got home early from training, still sick, and melted into my gloriously comfortable bed. It was about 3:30 p.m., and my body was too wrecked to stay awake. When I awoke at 8 p.m. on the dot, I didn’t realize it was nighttime.

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I bolted from a bed so comfortable that any princess could overlook a pea beneath the mattress. I hadn’t done my homework. I needed to pack my lunch. Apparently, coffee would make itself and find its way into my travel mug. I needed to order my rideshare.

I grabbed my makeup bag to apply my face during the commute and booked a ride. It would arrive in a few minutes.

While rifling through the dryer for matching socks, I realized it was awfully dark for 8 a.m. It hadn’t gotten any lighter during my frantic preparations, either.

Then I checked my watch.

My nap had lasted four and a half hours. It was night, not the next morning. My rideshare arrived, and I had to turn the driver away, paying a small cancellation fee as penance for not paying attention to the clock.

When life gets crazy

Having metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, doesn’t always make life crazy. But when life gets crazy, the routines I rely on to care for my liver can unravel.

Let me count the ways.

When I’m under the gun, the first thing to go is my healthy eating plan. After my diagnosis, I worked hard to correct decades of unhealthy eating habits. I want to live to a ripe old age, so this seemed like a no-brainer.

I kicked an unhealthy soda habit to the curb. I made vegetables a central theme of my meals. I said goodbye to dessert after every evening meal. Those habits become harder to maintain when stress and anxiety appear.

When my schedule is full and my adrenaline rockets, I eventually go into turtle mode. I want to duck into my shell and grab sleep whenever I can.

Unfortunately, long naps can interfere with sleeping at night. My disrupted bedtime leaves me staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m., debating whether to start my day or try again. It’s another way to wreck my life a little.

And getting enough sleep matters for attention, mood, and metabolic health. My calendar doesn’t seem particularly interested in that information.

Proactive planning becomes a pipe dream, especially when my daughter’s school sends notifications by text and email, often simultaneously. I appreciate the reminders. I just wish managing them didn’t become another assignment.

I’m constantly clearing messages and checking my inbox so important dates don’t disappear into the digital pile. Sometimes they do anyway.

Next week promises more training, fellowship meetings, a podcast appearance, and a concert where my daughter will sing with her professional choir. With the holidays starting this month, there’s more to come.

I can’t let it get to me. I have stuff to do.

But taking care of myself belongs on that list, too. The National Institute of Mental Health recommends setting priorities and deciding what can wait. That sounds simple until everything insists it’s urgent.

Maybe my lunch can be packed before I’m exhausted. Maybe a school email can wait until after dinner. Maybe rest deserves a place on my calendar before my body schedules it for me.

Sometimes we need a little break. This is your permission to take it. No apologies necessary.

Note: Liver Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Liver Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to liver disease.