Relaxing Feels Good

Recently, I was hit with a bad cold and fever, taking two days off of work.

• And all though I felt particularly crummy at times, wishing I could breathe and hear better, I had few complaints. Why? Because I had two days with just one goal-relax. I'm not the world's best relaxer but I do believe that relaxation is a goal, an action. Before my anxiety was reduced (still a work in progress) I would kind of relax but it was more of just "passing time," a lot of time, until the anxiety went away. I didn't necessarily enjoy it, for example 2 straight hours of watching tv and nothing else.




• But when I do have a goal, time set aside to "relax," it's different. I have a book I want to read, a movie I want to watch, a walk I want to take, etc. I feel refreshed after I deliberately relax. It gives me the clarity of thought to figure out "what next?" Another advantage for me of having a goal of relaxing is that I put myself first.




• It also really felt good for those two days to have my sole goals to be "taking care of self," and no one else. To feel that it was OK to only focus on myself for awhile.


• With what I have learned I am now more motivated to schedule and create time for myself with just one goal-relaxing. Not just relax when I am sick, but consistently. Because it really does feel good!!!!

Less Anxiety==More Time

In the past couple months or so I recognized I had a harder time "staying the course" Not staying SO down so much of the time, sticking to working/completing my goals. I would go along fine but when a bump in the road would, I would tend to just want to quit. Completely. Lately I have been working to reduce my anxiety through medication, Neurofeedback, and lifestyle changes. It is a work in progress, but the more my anxiety is reduced the more I learn about life and myself. Namely that less anxiety means more time. Time to do something for myself and more productive time. Anxiety can be a silent and stealthy robber. Without being fully aware of it, it caused to waste a lot of time watching tv, laying around, facebooking, etc. All of these things have their place, I'm not suggesting that every moment of the day needs be scheduled and structured. For me, the bigger picture was WHY I was wasting some much time not wanting to really engage in much. It was the anxiety was so potent that it made much harder to focus on things and I didn't want to focus so much on things that took time, energy and effort. Instead, I wanted to just "pass the time," and "entertain"myself. And watching tv can go by very quickly!!!! As I continue with treatment and lifestyle changes it is amazing to me how much more motivation and time I have now! To engage in activities that I not only want to do but that are constructive/productive. A lot more opportunities/goals have opened up to me now that I had forgotten about before. It's very much a work in progress but for now...... it's all good!

Recently I had a fun but busy weekend which left a lot of dishes to be washed, tasks to be done, items to be put away in my apartment. When I woke up on Sunday morning in the middle of the night, I immediately knew why. I didn't have order! Granted, I was sleeping in my bedroom, away from the clutter in the living room and kitchen, but my brain still sensed that there was clutter and things undone. In this case, I did a minimal 3:00am cleanup and promptly went back to bed! But to me, this is a classic example of how clutter can and does throw a person off. When there's more clutter than order I can feel myself stress/tense up. It throws me off and I have to take a few minutes to decided I want/need to do next. Here a some strategies that have helped me find and create more order in my life: -clean up before I go to bed. Not deep cleaning but things like hanging up clothes, loading the dishwwasher, filing bills I paid earlier -have a quiet hour without the cell phone, ipod, laptop or tv. Schedule permitting. -consistently get books from the library. I find that I am often attracted to technology for the desire to be "entertained" However, reading a new book can motivate to break away from the technology. So can trying a new recipe These strategies are hit and miss, trial and error. But when I do consistently engage in "orderly behavior" I CAN tell the difference. I am less stressed/tense. I sleep better and exercise more. I'm happier and more productive. What behaviors or strategies have helped you to find/create order in your life?