Surviving Homecoming

Well, homecoming season is coming to an end. Boy,I love this time of year. My homecoming  – Clark Atlanta University, CAU!!!! owes me nothing once again. I tell you, there’s nothing like an HBCU homecoming. It is the best! Homecoming is much like Vegas. What happens at homecoming stays at homecoming. Let me tell you, in case you didn’t know, a lot of things go down at homecoming. For example, the married folks or those who have  a significant other who didn’t attend their school, tend to leave their better half’s at home.  They leave their significant others home because they have been granted the Homecoming Hall Pass.  This Hall Pass is something that they usually work on a few months prior to actually going to homecoming by way of being extra nice, handling those forgotten chores etc.. All this so that they can “live their best life” at homecoming.  (Side Note: I’m about tired of hearing that saying!)

I’ve also found that during homecoming, you might run into your old flames from back in the day who think they still look like they did back in the day. More often than not…they don’t look the same  AT ALL!!!  However, they still think that they have that hold on you like they did back in college…ummmm no! There is a reason why you and that old flame aren’t together anymore.  Heck, isn’t that why they call it an old flame? You will also run into folks who may have liked you back in the day and they use homecoming every year as an excuse to try to kick it to you …even if they are MARRIED!!!  Really?? They will say things to you like “It’s still complicated?” or  “ Between me and you, we are co-parenting” well, if it’s “Between me and you” the chances are the spouse doesn’t know that you all are just co-parenting.  And mind you, you don’t hear from this person any other time of the year except during homecoming. And i’m sure you all can relate to getting a flood of DM’s or Facebook messages from interested parties trying to get their flirt on  behind the scenes right? Anyhoooo… all in all homecoming is a blast. It’s that time of year when you can relax, let your hair down and really get loose and don’t feel bad about it. However, if you are 40 something…the recovery time is no joke. You definitely can’t do it like you did in your 20’s no way.  In fact, the 40’s ARE NOT the new 20’s. For those three days of partying which started for me on that Thursday, it took me like a week to recover.  But I have to admit,  I can’t just blame it on homecoming festivities. I find that since being 40 something,  if I hang out for more than just one day, I tend to get a bit tired. The good news is that, it’s not just me. Most of my girlfriends who are in their  40’s say the same thing. Listen, I just got back from spending the weekend with my high school and college bestie and we kicked it hard that first night, and then the next day we were in our pajamas ALL DAY until it was time to go to dinner. And then we went to bed early the next night because we were still recovering from the first night. Really!!! Well, I did some research and found out that there is an actual name for what we over 40’s are experiencing. It’s called “The Fatigued 40’s.” It’s everything from stress to hormonal fluctuations during pre-menopause to the changing seasons. Additionally, I found out that tiredness among women tend to peak in the autumn…which guess what? it’s that time of year now.  Also, let’s add managing a career and or raising children, having a husband/significant other, being involved in the community, working out etc.. all of these things contribute to being fatigued. So here are some sure fire ways to help you get through being fatigued:

• Curb the sugar- and wine – Ummm……..I don’t know how this works for me since I LOVE Chocolate and  I am a fan of wine.  Apparently, the sugar from candy and  those sweet coffee drinks from Starbucks spike your blood sugar which leads to you crashing at your desk.  And wine…well it can deplete your energy levels. I believe that, because when I drink wine I get sleepy and um….well a bit frisky!! Experts say instead of wine opt for Vodka, Tequila or Gin. I think I can handle that.
• Calm the voices in your head – If you are like me, you are always thinking. I have a million and one things on my mind and at times I can’t seem to shut it down. It can be exhausting and overwhelming at times. To help with the voices in your head, take a few minutes and just breath—woo sa!!! Or in the evening take a warm bath, read a good book, take a yoga class, get a massage or perhaps go on a nice leisurely walk.  You can also binge watch some of your favorite shows that you’ve missed or catch a movie. Just do something to quiet those thoughts for even just an hour or so.
• Break a sweat– Not my favorite thing to do, but I love the results. You got to keep moving. Working out increases the blood flow to your brain and helps with awareness. You don’t have to do two hours of cycling or anything high intensity, a brisk walk 30 minutes a day will do just fine.
• Get your sleep on- This is the hardest thing to do. I typically only get about 5-6 hours of sleep at night. However, it is important to stick to a routine. You should try to go to bed the same time every night. No matter what, I try to be in the bed by 11:00 p.m. or 11:30 p.m. Bottom line,  you have to find a time that works best for you.

I hope some of these tips will help you out with “The Fatigued 40’s” syndrome, because let’s face it we aren’t as young as we once were. The 40’s IS NOT the new 20’s! Don’t believe the hype!!! LOL!