Life
Before kids, I could handle a sleepless night. Sure, it was rough, but I only had myself to care for so I could take things easy and even find a way to grab a nap. After my son was born, however, trying to get myself together and get to work after a long night seemed superhuman. Trying to stay awake at my desk? Yeah, that was almost impossible. Thankfully, these new moms have some tips for staying awake at work that we could all benefit from, myself included.
In the middle of the madness of new parenthood, I was grappling with my career options. I took some substitute teaching shifts, worked for a short time in an office, and then decided I was going to work from home. In many ways working from home is just as challenging as working outside the home but, for me, having to choose an outfit to wear outside the house when I could barely keep my eyes open was torture.
If you're a new mom and your child has kept you up all night, well, you are living with a new level of exhaustion. Welcome, my weary friends! Welcome. Our group of exhausted new moms is large, and the bags under our eyes are our collective calling cards. It might not always be fun, but at least we have each other to lean on. So, with that in mind, here are some tips to help you stay awake at work, especially after a particularly long night with your baby:
Jo
"I really struggled staying awake, especially at the beginning. A good breakfast with superfoods and yogurt helped me to feel fueled up."
Alice
"I work out every morning. No matter how tired I feel, I exercise. It gives me back twice the energy I put it."
Sam
"I nap. I close my blinds in my office, lay on the floor, and go to sleep. I am the boss so that helps!"
Kelly
"Well, it's not the healthiest option but I snack on sweet treats like candy and chocolate. They just help me to keep going when I want to crawl up in a ball and sleep."
Lekeisha
"I missed half of all the content of staff meetings when I first returned, I would just say, 'Hmm,' and, 'Really?' I managed to get through them all half asleep."
Tracy
"I use my sick days if I have been up all night, and then I try to work from home. I am more productive if I take a chance to rest."
Mary
"I get off work at 3 p.m. and my daughter is in daycare until 6 p.m. that evening. I would go home and sleep for a couple of hours before I collected her. It saved me."
Mia
"I play loud music at my desk (with my headphone on). It keeps me awake to groove out to my music."
Claire
"I have an alarm that goes off every 15 minutes, then I stand up, stretch, and move around for a little while. It makes all the difference if I am not staying still for too long."
Maggie
"I work in an office of smokers. Every half an hour they all go downstairs for a smoke. So now I go with them and I walk around the block twice in the time it takes them to smoke a cigarette. The fresh air wakes me up."
Shirley
"I drink a load of water. It hydrates me, which makes me feel better after a bad night, but it also makes me need to pee and gets me up and walking around."
