Tuesday 4 January 2011

Suffering from social jet lag?

I put this picture here pretty gratuitously, as it is not about travelling, or proper jet lag. I just decided to put it here because I thought it sort o fitted the topic. I should be jet lagged as had I travelled during the holidays I would have been back yesterday.

So today was my first day at work and I felt pretty awful, pretty much as if I had spent the last days travelling. I hadn't slept much the night before and felt sleepy and slow all day. I learned yesterday about the notion of social jet lag. I am wondering if I am not suffering from it, having been on holidays for two weeks, thus renewing with bad old habits of sleeping late. I have never been much of a nine to five kinda guy until relatively recently, in fact I rarely had nine to five jobs in the past, and rarely for prolonged periods of time like now. I will have to get used to it again. Still, I can't help but think that my ideal job would be something where I could go to bed late and sleep as much as I want. Probably something where I could work in the comfort of my home most of the time. An actor, an academic, a writer (there I said it), but probably not an opera singer (for obvious reasons). I can show a lot of commitment to my work, any work I do, but I lack the diurnal discipline of early birds. I am also a bit of an anti social from time to time, and loneliness is more enjoyable at night time. But until I get that dream job, I better get some sleep.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Est-ce une photo prise à Bagotville?

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, your writing drips exhaustion, and reluctance to get out of bed in the morning. As a fellow night owl I feel your pain...perhaps one day your circumstances will allow for your natural tendencies to work late at night, and sleep late in the morning. Until then, good luck restoring you body clock to the neccessary settings :-)

Guillaume said...

@Anonymous 1-Oui.
@Anonymous 2-Yes, I was exhausted yesterday when I wrote this. I hope one day I can be a night owl again.

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Well Happy New Year Guillaume! This post resonates completely with me because as you may know, I am an insufferable Night Owl! It runs in my entire family. Our circadian rhythms are way off. Luckily for me, I am at a place currently where I can indulge my tendencies to stay up late and sleep late. I too lack the discipline of the early birds, but I feel I make up for it with an enhanced since of nocturnal creativity that only seems to develop beneath the moonlight. And I am introverted by nature also, which extroverts may call 'anti-social'....but that term is incorrect because our preference for solitude and internalization is just that...merely a preference and a mode of operation for introverts. But it isn't wrong, and we aren't psychologically impaired which 'anti-socialism' implies, nor are we in need of being changed into extroverts who thrive off of socialization.

So my friend....embrace your differences and know that they are not only normal for you, but for many others as well. And yes...finding work that will let you function in your natural state would be the optimal choice if ever you can swing it. Until then, I wish you luck in rising with the sun...UGH!