After almost 24 hours of traveling I can feel the subtle effects of being on the other side of the world in a different time zone begin to settle in.  The view from my window seat is bright, the snow covered landscapes reflect the pale cold sunlight. I keep the window open to help in adjusting.  Light therapy they call it. I look down and see what appears to be signs of life, yet can’t imagine any beings existing in such a barren wasteland. I realize I have been seated for almost 11 hours straight. 6 of those sleeping while the others spent writing, listening to music and watching various old programs downloaded online that I needed to catch up with.  The Daily Show with John Stewart at 30,000 ft (11,000m) in a different longitude has a different perspective I suppose.

Stay hydrated, no alcohol. Get some sleep, now stay awake. Eat, but not too much. It’s only 2:48pm (Friday) in Bangkok – but in Arizona it would now be right before midnight on Thursday.  I’m no stranger to staying up till the wee hours of the morning in any of the North & South American time zones – but am curious how I take on this seemingly daunting task of such a drastic flip flop.  See Mom & Dad, I knew all of that late night carousing, i.e.: training, was good for something. I read once where people who are more gregarious, outgoing and adventurous with their lifestyle have a much better rate of jet lag recovery.  It had something to do with the pathways in our brain reacting to the constant changes and programing itself to deal.

Here is a simple spreadsheet strategy of how I planned to ease into my new reality:

The shaded parts represent my proposed sleepy time.

I guess I’ll find out if my strategy worked soon enough.