There’s an old adage that’s been around forever, but I saw it the first time several years ago on a co-worker’s desk. It said, “Eat a live toad first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen the rest of the day.”
I heard it again a few years later in a time management seminar. The point being is that if you do the one thing you dislike most first and get it out of your way, the rest of your day will be both more positive and more productive.
At the time I was working in an administrative role and it required a lot of filing — which I hated then and I hate now even more. The filing was my “live toad.” So I tried it. The last thing I’d do at the end of the day was get my stack of filing organized. Then first thing the next morning, I’d get a cup of coffee and my stack of filing and by the time I was done with my coffee, I was done filing for the entire day. The theory was correct. I no longer sat at my desk all day looking at and dreading the growing stack of filing — I was free to work on things that I enjoyed.
For many of us with RA, waking up in the morning is the worst time of the day. It’s often when we’re the stiffest and most sore. Often movement (and the occasional pain reliever) will relieve the symptoms enough to get on with our day. I know I’m like that. I tend to dread those first waking moments when I lay there and try to figure out how stiff I am and how much various bits and parts of me hurt.
RA has become my new “live toad.”
But you know what? I’ve found, at least for me, that the rest of the adage is true. If I can eat my live toad, i.e., get up and get moving and start my day, I do better the rest of the day. Even if I have stiffness or pain the rest of the day, it’s not as bad as what I experience in those first waking hours. So when I do get those twinges (or bolts) of pain, I remind myself that I’ve already been through the worst my day has to offer in RA terms, so it’s all better from there.
I hope all your toads are small ones and that the frogs you kiss all turn into princes (or princesses, if you prefer). Thanks for checking in.
Thanks for writing this. I needed to read it.
You’re so right. The other thing that getting up and eating that toad does is put us into the day to a point where turning back isn’t really feasible. “I’m up, showered, dressed, makeup is on, I’ve had breakfast and now … even though I hurt like a you-know-what … and now I am going to work. Or school. Or I’ll get on with whatever other chores and activities the day has in store.” I’d feel pretty silly giving up at that point when I’ve already managed to accomplish so much.
Attitude plays a huge role in “eating the toad.” I love yours, Carla. Thanks for another thoughtful post.
I often get a bit better after a few hours, but then later in the day/evening I start getting worse again and am as bad if not worse by the time I get home in the evening. I wish I knew how much of it was due to what.
When I was a kid, I spent several years at a rehab hospital – awful place, but they taught me a fantastic trick. Set your alarm to a couple of hours before you have to get up, take your painkillers/anti-inflammatory, have a bit of apple or a few crackers to keep your stomach from eating itself (OK, that one’s my mother’s trick) and go back to sleep. When you get up, the meds are peaking and it’s not so hard getting started.
Good tip with the toad, but it’s sometimes better to avoid it.
This is so true. The mornings are difficult but getting up and moving on with life makes it so much better.
My toad is paying bills. I hate doing it. So, I do them first thing in the morning. Great post!