Good Changes Can Still Be Draining

Lots of little things are causing me to feel a little drained/low energy. I know I will soon find new patterns and feel more settled which will help my brain and body to not have to expend so much energy processing and therefore should give me more energy.

But I was talking to a friend about how while so far this fall I feel like I have been doing less than in the summer somehow I feel more tired/sluggish/slow moving. I feel like it is helpful to remind ourselves how common this is so that we can be "gentle, gentle*" with ourselves.

We got to talking about possible reasons I have been more tired:

• Changing Patterns and Rhythms
• Right now I find myself between the summer patterns and rhythms I had and the fall patterns and rhythms I will have. So I am in some liminal space where patterns and rhythms are still changing/morphing which brings its own stress for my nuerowild brain.
• Days Getting Shorter
• Yes the days are yet to get shorter for a while yet but I have been noticing how much shorter the days already are when compared to the peak of summer.
• Decluttering 
• I have worked really hard to declutter recently and my room is in a good place, I still have a few boxes of stuff I need to find homes for but I have decluttered enough that my desk and floor has been clear for almost 2 weeks (which is an accomplishment for me) 
• Decluttering and having a place for everything actually does help me keep organized. 
• Decluttering Mindset
• Since I have been working so hard to declutter and put items up on our local Buy Nothing Group, I have found I am less excited about going to events that I would simply go to for the free stuff. I will always go if there is free food, music, massage but if I am only going to get another tote bag, pair of sunglasses, design catalogue ... it seems more like junk. 
• Note with tote bags I still have like 25 so I am not anti-tote bags or anything I just don't need 50-60 of them taking up space in my room LOL
• Silly Physics
• A body in motion stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest
• In the summer I record what I do in a spreadsheet because I try to do 100 summer activities (this year I did 114.) This gets me to do more because I want to reach 100. I don't keep track of activities the same way the rest of the year.  (And my summer list is sustainable for the summer but would not be sustainable to keep updated all year round)

In the end I think it is clearly All The Above. Lots of little things that have built up and are causing me to feel drained. I know I will soon get new patterns and feel more settled which will help my brain process everything. But I think it is useful to sit and process what I am experiencing because it helps me be "gentle, gentle*" with myself.

*A phrase that Wentworth Miller has been posting recently on Instagram.