When it’s the drinking that’s keeping you on the treadmill.
Life is exhausting these days. We tell ourselves that it’s just the way it is, everybody’s the same, it’s what it takes to be successful, and so on. The treadmill continues, except some days it feels like it’s set to incline and gradually getting faster and faster – imperceptibly increasing the pressure. But we keep going. What choice do we have?
I’ve been there. I’d wake up at 5am to squeeze in a 5k run before the day began. Fuelled by coffee and gulps from my 2 litre water bottle, my days would be full – back-to-back with intense meetings, staff training, decision-making and ten new tasks for every one task I completed. Getting home late was the norm after I’d crowbarred in a yoga class before dinner. Then, emails and more work until midnight or, worst case, the early hours. Rinse and repeat.
I actually believed I could thrive on 4 hours of sleep a night.
I was exhausted. Until the wine. Until that evening glass of wine ‘took the edge off’. If it was a late night working, I’d justify a second glass. Sometimes even a third – just a small one.
You see, I functioned really well. People thought I was thriving. Sometimes I even convinced myself I was thriving. I was the poster girl for enthusiasm and dedication to my work.
But scratch the surface, and I was unhappy. There was an underlying anxiety and I found it hard to relax.
The one thing I thought I needed – the wine – to take the edge off my day, to numb the exhaustion, to lift the unhappiness, was the one thing holding me back.
Alcohol, despite the effect of initially making us feel better, actually makes us feel much worse – it fuels anxiety, decreases our mood, and makes quality sleep impossible. It’s the worst kind of treadmill.
But it is one that we can stop at any point. And this is key – we can choose to get off this treadmill whenever we want.
In breaking this cycle, and ditching the drink, not only will our sleep be restorative and healing, but our mood and energy levels can regulate. This means that we can make decisions with clarity, we have more creativity, and can cope better with the stresses we face on a daily basis.
If you’re curious about how fantastic life will be when you’re free from the drink, let’s talk.