Im tired

[LACHopeful]

For those of you who are dance competitors, do you ever have a time where you've been dancing consistantly and very well up to a point?
I'm at a point where I can feel that I have bags under my eyes, my head is hurting all over again.

I have finals coming up and I'm worried sick about this competition...too many things that I'm thinking about at once, and I don't know what to do, help moi!

[Peaches]

Take a nap.

I'm completely serious. Take a nap. Then wake up, take a shower, take a walk and get some food. And then go back to studying or practicing or whatever.

It sounds like you've got what I call my "drowning" feeling. Just too many things to get done, not enough time, no energy, and just purely overwhelmed with everything. At least that's how I get, so maybe I'm just projecting. I've found the only thing that helps me is to take a bit of time off to relax, calm down, and put everything in perspective.

[tunape]

For those of you who are dance competitors, do you ever have a time where you've been dancing consistantly and very well up to a point?
I'm at a point where I can feel that I have bags under my eyes, my head is hurting all over again.

I have finals coming up and I'm worried sick about this competition...too many things that I'm thinking about at once, and I don't know what to do, help moi!

hahah! that's my four years of college! started out as a triple major, danced on weeknights and weekends - sometimes 10 am to midnight with breaks only for food and bathroom, and that was _not_ for a competition.

starting size in college was something like 6', 135 lb, but graduation was barely 125lb!(that's with a bmi near 18 ). exhaustion to near collapse, stress, and 4 hours of sleep was normal.

after college was even better! all that, plus a job that started at 6am - 8pm, 6 days a week.

I've found that life is like dancing - take one step at a time! finish this step first before taking the next, and everything will be fine.

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? :)

[Peaches]

Or it kills you...

Or you burn out beyond badly and find nothing interesting or motivation...not that I speak from experience or anything...

[LACHopeful]

hahah! that's my four years of college! started out as a triple major, danced on weeknights and weekends - sometimes 10 am to midnight with breaks only for food and bathroom, and that was _not_ for a competition.

starting size in college was something like 6', 135 lb, but graduation was barely 125lb!(that's with a bmi near 18 ). exhaustion to near collapse, stress, and 4 hours of sleep was normal.

after college was even better! all that, plus a job that started at 6am - 8pm, 6 days a week.

I've found that life is like dancing - take one step at a time! finish this step first before taking the next, and everything will be fine.

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? :)


"What doesn't kills you makes you stronger" is one of the quotes I live by!

yea I'm trying to concentrate on work now...and unfortunately I can't take a nap cause im at the Lab at our Comm.College.

I keep switching from essay to website because I just can't concentrate on this essay for 5 hours!

It's a 10 pg paper and I've got two more 1 page papers, plus some Nutrition work which is a lot of reading and some sign language..which is, suprise suprise, a lot of signing.
I'm ONLY a freshman,not even in grad school yet and I'm already so tired!

[LACHopeful]

Or it kills you...

Or you burn out beyond badly and find nothing interesting or motivation...not that I speak from experience or anything...
Makes sense too, I'm really good at doing things until it's done. I don't care if I'm shaking..it just has to be done and then I'm so tierd the next day that I can't function even with a healthy breakfast and good workout...

I'm learning this "take it slow" thing..slowly..

[tunape]

yea I'm trying to concentrate on work now...

you can either think about how fast you can finish this paper so you can go dance more!

or

remove all distractions(close the browser, turn off the music/radio, etc...) and bore yourself to death such that you have to do the work or be bored to death.

speaking of which, I'm closing the browser now. :)

[LACHopeful]

I like the first option but I wont be able to dance until im at the studio (6hours).

I guess option number to is my only way out...*sigh*, I'm writing a 10 pg paper about myself and it's not my favorite thing to do!

[Joe]

starting size in college was something like 6', 135 lb, but graduation was barely 125lb!(that's with a bmi near 18 ). exhaustion to near collapse, stress, and 4 hours of sleep was normal.
Dude you were a freakin' twig!

[fascination]

the thing is...if you are that fatigued then you can't expect your brain or body to do what it should which will only cause more panic...go to pleep as peaches said...if you can't go to sleep and you are of legal age, have a glass of wine, a good meal, a hot soak, then go to sleep...but go to sleep, and if you can afford it, buy some vitamins and get a massage...drinks lots of water...folks forget about this in the winter and its very important for fatigued muscles

[contracheck]

For those of you who are dance competitors, do you ever have a time where you've been dancing consistantly and very well up to a point?
I'm at a point where I can feel that I have bags under my eyes, my head is hurting all over again.

I have finals coming up and I'm worried sick about this competition...too many things that I'm thinking about at once, and I don't know what to do, help moi!
I had this experience last Sunday, when I had to perform a long 6-min Paso showcase at a year-end studio party. I value studio showcases in front of forgiving audience highly because they serve as opportunities for getting the bugs out before competitions. This showcase was a collection of most difficult and dramatic Paso routines that were a way above my old body's capability. No matter what other people say, I was convinced once again that Paso was the hardest dance there was. Even though my coach and I had prepared for it relentlessly for weeks, I was far from being ready. There was a strong possibility of my mind going blank, which would cause great embarrassment. Furthermore, many hours of knee walk practices nearly destroyed my knees. Because of the bleak situation, I wanted to cancel it at the last minute. My coach told me that it happened to her all the time. She asked me to take hot bath, put tiger balm, take 6 Advils, take high energy food, and take nap. I stayed home practicing till our turn came. My coach and I were on the floor finally, erect, tall, and arrogant, as if we owned the world. When the Spanish trumpet blared, my adrenalin surged. I forgot about all the sore pain and fatigue. The old warrior mounted his horse and galloped, piercing his sabre into the juggular of my partner, who played not the role of a bull but my wife (i.e, I was killing my wife with my own hand before my enemy killed her), at the exact moment. I, of course, made a number of blunders but no one seemed to noticed them because they did not know our routine. Burned out or not, I am ready to mount my horse in the arena once again.

[LACHopeful]

this is beside the point...but I've always loved Paso!
A six minute paso seems really difficult already!! I haven't done the hot bath, massage, advil or anything but the high energy food and I take some walks on campus here and there. I spent like an hour to two hours in the house where I have time to myself, otherwise I'm just studying or always on the go.
It's tiring!!

I keep thinking about the fatigue because it's also one of my biggest fears. My competition is stressing me out because I'm competing at the advanced level when I should be competing as a beginner and fatigue is the last thing that I want especially if I have to dance four dances for a 1 1/2 one after another.

[tunape]

Dude you were a freakin' twig!

ha, and I eat around 4000 calories a day!

[contracheck]

this is beside the point...but I've always loved Paso!

I keep thinking about the fatigue because it's also one of my biggest fears. My competition is stressing me out because I'm competing at the advanced level when I should be competing as a beginner and fatigue is the last thing that I want especially if I have to dance four dances for a 1 1/2 one after another.
My point is that you have nothing to fear but fear itself. Pain and fatigue are, like age, usually a state of mind. Custer tried to defeat JEB Stuart in Gettysburg by charging to the Confederate Cavalry three times but failed all of the three times (see me in Photoalbum playing Custer in Gettysburg). He was dead tired. He gathered his defeated Wolverines one last time and charged again, defeating Stuart finally. In doing so. Custer saved the Union. If there was no Custer, there is no USA today. Had he failed, Lee could have entered the White House and captured Lincoln, because the Yankees were desperately busy to deal with Picket's Charge, and had no room to deal with Stuart coming from behind like Tsunami. So, my friend, dance beyond the point of exhaution; it will bring a remarkable result. These are words from another great general named Patton.

[dancesportgirl21]

I keep switching from essay to website because I just can't concentrate on this essay for 5 hours!

It's a 10 pg paper and I've got two more 1 page papers, plus some Nutrition work which is a lot of reading and some sign language..which is, suprise suprise, a lot of signing.
I'm ONLY a freshman,not even in grad school yet and I'm already so tired!

I know the feeling! I would say to put your self in a situation where you have no distractions and just focus on your work. Then, take regular breaks to eat, get a drink, go to the bathroom, listen to music- whatever- so you don't burn out. Don't take breaks that are too long so nothing gets done, but take them regularly.

[LACHopeful]

This is what I've done today and now I feel pretty much better then usual!

I had my Nutrition class and afterwards I went to the language lab to study for a final, after that I went to the library and went to this website and checked my email.
After that, I worked on my essay and beautified it a bit.
Then I had Psych and I laughed the whole class which put me in a good mood, I soaked up the sun after class and had fruit/chicken and now I'm waiting because I take my final in like 30 minutes.

I'm still tired and I may go home to take a nap...

[samina]

This is what I've done today and now I feel pretty much better then usual!

I had my Nutrition class and afterwards I went to the language lab to study for a final, after that I went to the library and went to this website and checked my email.
After that, I worked on my essay and beautified it a bit.
Then I had Psych and I laughed the whole class which put me in a good mood, I soaked up the sun after class and had fruit/chicken and now I'm waiting because I take my final in like 30 minutes.

I'm still tired and I may go home to take a nap...

yah, LAC -- great idea. it sounds like you have so much going on. i know when i don't get enuf sleep i start to find it difficult to cope with even small challenges. can be so hard to calm the mind down, too.

sleep, my friend... sleep.....
<swinging watch>
:D

[fascination]

that's the thing sometimes what conatracheck is saying is true...other times it is just a waste to try to push through it...the key is working to your outer limits oftne enough to know which is which

[LACHopeful]

today was the first time I actually took everything slow and get this...I got a 100% on my final!!!!!!
I just feel so much more relaxed today...

I just need a nap because I know I'm still tired...

[fascination]

yep

[tunape]

today was the first time I actually took everything slow and get this...I got a 100% on my final!!!!!!
I just feel so much more relaxed today...

I just need a nap because I know I'm still tired...

great job! Even in dancing, when I take one step at a time and not rush, everything seems to slow down and the quality is better too.

[LACHopeful]

Yep, and for me quality is so much more important for any competition.