I Should Have Been a Rock Star
I should have been a rock star.
The most popular questions and comments I've gotten regarding my recent travels have been about jet lag. Many are well wishes - "Gosh, I hope the jet lag isn't too bad." Others are a bit more snarky - "Good luck with that jet lag, Stace." Some are comments about past experiences - "I hope you're going to stay over there awhile. It's taken me days to get over the jet lag." Still others bubble over with incredulity - "You're going to do what on your first day there/back!?!"
Here's the thing - I don't get jet lag.
And I honestly don't know why. I haven't Googled 'jet lag prevention' or asked anyone for advice. I just do what I do...and hope for the best. Well, and I make a grand assumption that it's not going to affect me. I'll land, set my watch to the correct local time, and be off and running. In three trips to Europe in the last year, it has never once plagued me. Not going there or coming home. At all.
Others, it seems, expect the plague and get the plague. They fret about it and expect it. Every yawn or unexpected hunger pang heralds its arrival, the dreaded jet lag. Then they let it ruin the first few days of their vacation on the front end and make the first few days of their homecoming trying. All because they think they're going to get it.
Ok, here's a smaller example. The bi-annual Day Light Savings Time change. I know people who are so sure that it's going to slap them in the face that they get slapped in the face. They create - willfully or not - a self-fulfilling prophecy. What we think will be (other than the winning lottery numbers), will be. Think DST is going to throw off your body clock for a week? Guess what? It's going to. I have never allowed myself to be affected by the time change. It is what it is. The time on the clock is the time on the clock. I eat when I'm hungry and go to bed when I'm tired (which during spring and summer means the sun is probably still up when I do). Plain and simple, I don't let my mind fuck with me (I'm a classic over thinker about just about everything else in my life).
What's my secret, really? I think a few things kind of come together to give me immunity.
(1) Think positively. I wasn't kidding about the mind over matter stuff above. The power of positive thinking goes a long way. I don't spend my time looking for symptoms or bemoaning the fact that it's x-number of hours earlier or a later than I'm used to. The time is the time. I only do the math if I need to contact someone back home. While a seven hour time difference may seem like nothing to me, when I text them at 10AM my time and it's 3AM their time, I probably shouldn't expect a speedy response.
(2) Stay up. Doesn't matter if I've been up all night (My most recent trip, other than a couple unsatisfying naps on the plane, I was up almost 36 hours). Doesn't matter if I arrive in the morning or late in the day. I stay up until it's a 'normal' bed time, then I crash.
(3) Set an alarm. I always try to make an early appointment of some kind on my first full day. On my trip to Stockholm in October, I had to be at work (I volunteered at the Stockholm Open) at 8:30AM...and I had to figure out how to get there on the T-Bana without getting lost. My most recent trip, I scheduled a run at 10AM and I was up by 8AM to eat beforehand. I don't languish in bed or sleep late. I get up and out as early as I can.
(4) Hydrate. I drink water before I leave, on the plane, on layovers, and after I've arrived. I skip alcohol (not a hardship for me at all) and soda (also not a hardship). And I limit coffee. I make sure I have enough caffeine to ward off a nasty headache, but then it's water.
(5) Eat meals at normal meal times. It's morning? I have breakfast. It's noon? I have lunch. Evening? Dinner. I don't think about what time it is at home. I eat whatever meal my current time zone prescribes.
(6) Walk/Run. As soon as I get to my hotel, I go for a walk. I explore and find my bearings. It started as a way to ward off anxiety (the chaos of a new city can be daunting for me), but it really is a great way to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. And if I'm exhausted, which after 12-20 hours of travel is probably a given, it energizes me a little and I'm able to make it through the rest of the day.
Look, jet lag isn't a given. I can say I should have been a rock star, like I'm made of something special, something rock-star-esque. The truth of the matter is that I'm exactly like everyone else who travels. My body chemistry isn't made of peculiar, magical stuff. I'd argue that the only thing different about me is my thought process. Rather than assuming jet lag is going to get me, I think positively that it's not. And I take steps to ensure that I'm as healthy and resilient as possible. The bullet points above are simply good travel practices that when coupled with positive thinking are proven to ward off jet lag. I'm the proof.
*** So far. It doesn't pay to bait the devil, though, so let's hope this blog doesn't come back to bite me on the ass next trip. And anyone who has heard me sing or try to play a musical instrument knows I should not have been a rock star. A world traveling runner, tennis player, and writer? Maybe.***
The most popular questions and comments I've gotten regarding my recent travels have been about jet lag. Many are well wishes - "Gosh, I hope the jet lag isn't too bad." Others are a bit more snarky - "Good luck with that jet lag, Stace." Some are comments about past experiences - "I hope you're going to stay over there awhile. It's taken me days to get over the jet lag." Still others bubble over with incredulity - "You're going to do what on your first day there/back!?!"
Here's the thing - I don't get jet lag.
And I honestly don't know why. I haven't Googled 'jet lag prevention' or asked anyone for advice. I just do what I do...and hope for the best. Well, and I make a grand assumption that it's not going to affect me. I'll land, set my watch to the correct local time, and be off and running. In three trips to Europe in the last year, it has never once plagued me. Not going there or coming home. At all.
Others, it seems, expect the plague and get the plague. They fret about it and expect it. Every yawn or unexpected hunger pang heralds its arrival, the dreaded jet lag. Then they let it ruin the first few days of their vacation on the front end and make the first few days of their homecoming trying. All because they think they're going to get it.
Ok, here's a smaller example. The bi-annual Day Light Savings Time change. I know people who are so sure that it's going to slap them in the face that they get slapped in the face. They create - willfully or not - a self-fulfilling prophecy. What we think will be (other than the winning lottery numbers), will be. Think DST is going to throw off your body clock for a week? Guess what? It's going to. I have never allowed myself to be affected by the time change. It is what it is. The time on the clock is the time on the clock. I eat when I'm hungry and go to bed when I'm tired (which during spring and summer means the sun is probably still up when I do). Plain and simple, I don't let my mind fuck with me (I'm a classic over thinker about just about everything else in my life).
What's my secret, really? I think a few things kind of come together to give me immunity.
(1) Think positively. I wasn't kidding about the mind over matter stuff above. The power of positive thinking goes a long way. I don't spend my time looking for symptoms or bemoaning the fact that it's x-number of hours earlier or a later than I'm used to. The time is the time. I only do the math if I need to contact someone back home. While a seven hour time difference may seem like nothing to me, when I text them at 10AM my time and it's 3AM their time, I probably shouldn't expect a speedy response.
(2) Stay up. Doesn't matter if I've been up all night (My most recent trip, other than a couple unsatisfying naps on the plane, I was up almost 36 hours). Doesn't matter if I arrive in the morning or late in the day. I stay up until it's a 'normal' bed time, then I crash.
(3) Set an alarm. I always try to make an early appointment of some kind on my first full day. On my trip to Stockholm in October, I had to be at work (I volunteered at the Stockholm Open) at 8:30AM...and I had to figure out how to get there on the T-Bana without getting lost. My most recent trip, I scheduled a run at 10AM and I was up by 8AM to eat beforehand. I don't languish in bed or sleep late. I get up and out as early as I can.
(4) Hydrate. I drink water before I leave, on the plane, on layovers, and after I've arrived. I skip alcohol (not a hardship for me at all) and soda (also not a hardship). And I limit coffee. I make sure I have enough caffeine to ward off a nasty headache, but then it's water.
(5) Eat meals at normal meal times. It's morning? I have breakfast. It's noon? I have lunch. Evening? Dinner. I don't think about what time it is at home. I eat whatever meal my current time zone prescribes.
(6) Walk/Run. As soon as I get to my hotel, I go for a walk. I explore and find my bearings. It started as a way to ward off anxiety (the chaos of a new city can be daunting for me), but it really is a great way to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. And if I'm exhausted, which after 12-20 hours of travel is probably a given, it energizes me a little and I'm able to make it through the rest of the day.
Look, jet lag isn't a given. I can say I should have been a rock star, like I'm made of something special, something rock-star-esque. The truth of the matter is that I'm exactly like everyone else who travels. My body chemistry isn't made of peculiar, magical stuff. I'd argue that the only thing different about me is my thought process. Rather than assuming jet lag is going to get me, I think positively that it's not. And I take steps to ensure that I'm as healthy and resilient as possible. The bullet points above are simply good travel practices that when coupled with positive thinking are proven to ward off jet lag. I'm the proof.
*** So far. It doesn't pay to bait the devil, though, so let's hope this blog doesn't come back to bite me on the ass next trip. And anyone who has heard me sing or try to play a musical instrument knows I should not have been a rock star. A world traveling runner, tennis player, and writer? Maybe.***
Comments
Post a Comment