Beating the 4:00 Slump
Most people wish for more hours in the day. Not me. In fact, I would gladly take a 22-hour day if 4-6 pm could be elimitated. I would like to say it is because my children are whiny and cranky at this time, but actually, it’s me. Four o’clock hits, and I simply have trouble dealing with life.
This has recently become such a problem that I’ve made some changes in my afternoon to try and battle the 4:00 slump. One of the main issues is that I was always trying to make supper at this time. Even if Lydia and Luke were relatively well-behaved and entertaining themselves, I struggled to stay sane while working in the kitchen. So, most days I’ve been making supper earlier in the afternoon and putting it in the fridge. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it is a major shift for me. You see, ever since I became pregnant with Luke (and he’s now 14 months old), I’ve been taking a nap in the afternoons along with my little people, which doesn’t leave time for cooking. Now, however, I’ve been using this time to (gasp!) stay awake, do my Bible study and then make supper before people wake up. It’s not a perfect system, but the shift in approach has allowed most days to be free of cooking during the 4:00 hour. I realized that I need peace at 4:00 more than I need sleep at 2:00. Of course I haven’t given up naps completely. In fact, I took one today. But, not being a slave to sleeping at that time has been rather freeing.
Okay, on to my next strategy: Eating a significant snack at 3:00. In fact, I eat what some people would consider a meal. Instead of just eating apple slices, I’ve added an entire can of tuna with mayo and crackers. I make myself take the time to sit down and eat. I feel like kind of a wimp because I have to eat so often, but I do what I have to do, you know? Whoever is awake at 3:00 joins me for my snack. Today it was Luke. He eats little tiny pieces of apple and crunches them between his front teeth. Quite endearing.
Okay, the last thing is the hardest to pull off. If at all possible, we try to go outside at 4:00. Obviously, some days, the weather does not allow this to happen. But even if it is pretty cold, we try to go outside, even if it is just for about 10 or 15 minutes. Earlier this week I think the process of getting everyone dressed and out the door literally took three times longer than we spent outside, but it was worth it. The fresh air is invigorating, and we are able to catch the last bit of daylight that eludes us when we stay inside.
This picture was taken on a day that was very warm for January (hence our lack of jackets) and Keith was home early. Lydia and I are doing some jogging around the cul de sac. Getting some exercise is another benefit of the outside time. It’s good for all of us, even Luke, who walks around, throwing his hands up in the air, saying “Eh!”
When the clock approaches 5:00, we go inside to get some supper from the refrigerator. Daddy is usually home around 5:30.
So, there you have it. It’s not a fool-proof system. I still feel down in the late afternoon on lots of days, especially cloudy days, but I’m doing better. I’m curious to hear if anyone else has a “hard” time of day. If so, how do you battle it?
Janice Tyndall says:
Amy that was always a hard time of day for me too. You might try finding 4-5 crockpot recipes that you like and use the crockpot 2-3x a week. I usually start my meals around 11 or 12 and they cook on low the rest of the day and you get your nap. I also precooked a lot of meals on Sunday. I would spend about 2 hours on Sunday baking chicken breast, making soup, and frying up ground beef. Then I would divide up my chicken and ground beef into bags and label the bags with the meal that I was going to make with it ( pizza, tacos, spagetti etc). I would even dice the veges that I would need for the week like green pepper and onions. It made my life much easier and dinner can be ready in 10-20 minutes easy and you get your much needed nap everyday. Between that and the crockpot it worked pretty good.
Keith says:
My slump time during the day is usually around 7pm. It seems like I can barely keep my eyes open around that time, especially if I sit down in the comfy recliner. Even more so if little people kept me up the night before. Unfortunately, I often get my second wind around 10pm or so, right when I’m trying to get to bed.
Mom says:
My sleepy time is in the afternoon. Sometimes I work on the computer in the morning and then do housework in the afternoon because it is more active and keeps me awake better. However, I need to start working ahead on supper more like you were talking about.
Janet Saxon says:
This is a very intriguing topic and I want to think about it some more before I post. But I will say that every day around 4-5 o’clock I am DONE. Then, like Keith, I get an energy boost at 9 p.m. I’ve even tried to figure out what my most efficient time of day is and get The Women’s Center to schedule my work during that time. For now, I will say that the 4:00 slump is surely universal, else why would the rest of the world be either (1) having high tea, or (2) enjoying a siesta?
madalyn says:
Although I’m not a mother yet and I work outside the home, I find that my “slump” hits around 4:00 pm, too. It’s especially apparent, of course, on a high-stress or busy day. It’s like my brain just wants to scream “No more! I can’t take any more work or thinking!”
Since I’m still at the office, I usually try to take a short snack break around 3:30. (My typical snack is an apple — nothing fancy.) It allows me to take a breather from all my projects, relax for a few minutes, jump start my metabolism, and feel ready to tackle work again.
Lindsay says:
4:00-6:00 has often been the worst time of day for me too. It seems that is when the lupus usually flares the worse. I also dread cooking supper for some reason which falls in this time frame. Having a plan for what I’m going to cook well in advance has helped but I still often wish we could just go out or order in!
Mom says:
I agree with Lindsay. Planning ahead for supper definitely helps. Deciding something to fix at the last minute can be the cause of anxiety.