Settling In
This past week has been...interesting.
My body usually snaps back from trips pretty quickly, but the return from Japan was different. I’ve always adjusted to different time zones pretty quickly, and even by the end of my time in Japan I had almost settled in.
Coming back, however, was a struggle. The first four or five days I couldn’t get a full night’s sleep and was dead on my feet by noon every day. Tomorrow will mark two full weeks back, and I think it’ll be safe to say I’ve finally settled into a routine.
My go-to method for fighting jet lag is sleep. I just force myself to sleep at bedtime in the time zone I happen to be in until I adjust. This is the first time my body hasn't fallen into line, and as I lay awake these past few nights/mornings I felt betrayed and forsaken.
Thinking back on it, adjusting to and from Australia was nowhere near as hard. I’m not sure if it’s a time zone thing, or if it has to do with the amount of time we spent in each place, but I’m baffled by how affected I was by this trip. I guess this is something to keep in mind for the next time I make it out to Japan (#Tokyo2020).
It’s always nice to be home. Traveling and racing around the world can be fun and exciting, but all that comes packaged with a ton of stress and running on schedules that are not your own. I find a lot of comfort in my daily routines. In a way, they act as a reset for my general physical and mental wellness which only has positive effects on my performance on the track.
I’m thinking of making a few posts next month on my various routines. Aside from the usual morning and night routines, I’ll probably write up a pre-track meet one as well. Let me know if there are any others you’re interested in and I’ll add it to the series.
This has basically been the week of rehab and recovery. I'm just glad to get back on track (*wink*wink*).
Have you ever suffered from horrible jet lag? Any tips for me and my next trip?
