SOPA Protest
Posted by Jaime
A Little Goes a Long Way
Posted by Jaime
One of the things I decided to do when starting my new schedule was to make sure the start of my day was computer free. For years I would either get up, exercise and get straight on the computer or I would get up and go straight on the computer.
Partly, this is sad. Partly, it’s kind of understandable given that I work with a lot of people in the US and the earlier I’m on, the better.
So when I started a couple weeks ago, I gave myself time not only for exercise but also for some computer-free time after that. I initially started it as a part of mindful eating because there was never a breakfast that went by when I wasn’t distracted. I realised that I wasn’t giving my breakfast – no matter what it was – any sort of proper attention.
What I didn’t realise is how good I would feel after doing it for just a few days.
After a short time, I began to feel better in the mornings. My outlook was sunnier, I felt more equipped to handle the day… Even days I woke up knowing it was going to be a ‘sensitive’ day weren’t quite so bad because I got a quiet start.
And it wasn’t about a ‘slow’ start either because it was out of bed and onto the Wii Fit board or out for a walk. (Better than a cup of coffee, I reckon.) It was more about not getting out of bed, putting my body through exercise stress and then hopping on the computer straight after for mental stress.
I was getting to the point where just opening up my email to take care of a few things was sending me into a mild panic attack. My heart would race as soon as the inbox was opened.
Yet what started as something I changed for mindful eating practices grew into a mindful anxiety control practice. It’s not an option for me to quit what I do online, but by postponing it for just an hour and getting up earlier so I had more time to relax into the day, I eliminated 99% of the stress.
Yes, I still have bad days, but I feel much better about handling those bad days than I used to.
More than ever, I am seeing that a little bit goes a long way – and in a lot of different directions to boot.
How To Stop Screwing Yourself Over
Posted by Jaime
I love TED Talks and found this one to be very useful for those of us who use weight for comfort/protection/etc. Especially when it comes to the ‘waiting to feel like it’ impulse.
Starting 2012 the Right Way… On the 2nd
Posted by Jaime
A day or two before New Year’s Eve, I read my horroscope. Basically it said that it’s not the date that is important, it’s what you start on a date. The funny thing about that horroscope is that I read it a few days after deciding that I had no reason to wait for 2012 to start doing things.
Significant dates are lovely when they work for you, but the general consensus seems to be that new year resolutions are there to be broken. I like significant dates as much as the next person (hello Mondays!), but I also have no patience.
So, on Christmas when the Bloke traded me his phone (because I “will have far more use for it than me” he said), I perused apps to help me keep on track.
I found Noom, which is the one I’ve stuck with since trying out a couple others. It keeps track of weight, has a food diary function and does all sorts of things including GPS tracking for workouts. It’s not everything I want (what about water?), but it works. And I started on Christmas.
Also before 2012 started, I discovered that making my own Christmas cards was really good for my headspace. I hadn’t done anything crafty for a long time, and it felt so good! So now I’m rockin’ some craft time in my schedule*. I just finished up two small homemade Smashbooks for friends.
I have plans for a couple more – including one for me! (Go figure, making something nice for myself…)
*I mentioned a schedule didn’t I?
Well, after listening to the Bloke have a discussion with a pub owner on New Year’s Eve about the failings of many modern parents, it hit me that I’m glad I haven’t had children at this point in my life.
Yep. That’s right. Glad.
It finally hit me that I have not ever been ready to be a parent. I don’t stick to things, I can’t keep to a schedule, and I don’t take proper care of myself. A baby is not just something you can get bored with. It’s for life.
Now, I’m not here bashing myself. I’m accpeting who I have been up to this point so I can make changes to become the person I want to be.
So I’ve started a schedule. It’s currently flexible because I don’t know everything that works for me. For instance, I’ve already figured out that I need to move writing time to the afternoon because I’m just not ready for that kind of thing right after exercise. And yay, I’m exercising!
I suppose that this year isn’t about making or breaking resolutions so much as it is about proving to myself that I can put in the work necessary to be who I want to be.
Day one nearly done. A lifetime to go…
2011 Wrap-Up
Posted by Jaime
1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
*Moved more than a kilometre in Australia (haha)
*Had the pets outnumber the humans
*Published a novel
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
*Probably not. I don’t really remember what they were in the first place.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
*I don’t know about ‘close’, but people I know gave birth. Plenty of bubs for the year. No one I know in person, though…
4. Did anyone close to you die?
*Not as far as I know.
5. What countries did you visit?
*Just Australia, this year.
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
*Better self-control. There are plenty of things I would like to do, but they require sticking to a schedule – something I’m not the best at.
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
*February 4th, when we moved into the place we’re renting now. It was absolutely stinking hot and humid. By the time we were in, we just put the mattress on the floor in the kitchen because that’s where the aircon is and fell asleep.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
*Publishing my novel – Echo Falls.
9. What was your biggest failure?
*Letting my weight gain so much. A large part of the initial gain was moving into a place without a working oven/stove, but I had plenty of time to correct that.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
*YES. Ugh. The flu that didn’t leave me be for nearly two months and ended off with a particularly strong ear infection. Not fun.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
*Copies of my book. Haha. Other than that… I don’t think I actually bought anything noteworthy.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
*My husband’s. As always, he’s stood strong by me while I’ve dealt with things.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
*Turn on the news. Pick some names.
14. Where did most of your money go?
*Honestly? Food and drink. Isn’t that where it usually goes?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
*Publishing my novel. (I promise I’ll only mention it sixteen more times.) Getting our first dog… and getting our second dog when it became obvious Brin needed a companion.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
*I honestly don’t know. I don’t listen to a heap of music.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Calmer, which is the more important for me
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter.
c) richer or poorer? About the same, I think. A little less in debt from paying a year’s worth of student loan payments, so I guess that would make me richer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
*Exercise (haha – but seriously…)
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
*Mucking about wasting time. Doing little things that end up taking so much time like playing Facebook games or pressing the snooze button on my alarm.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
*Having fun. Driving around a bit, making homemade pizza, movie marathon – all with the husband.
21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
*No, but I stayed in love, which is just as important these days.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
*I can’t really say. I didn’t stick to any particular one for very long when I did watch television.
24. What was the best book you read?
*The Hunger Games series.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
*A minor. Just kidding. No great discoveries.
26. What did you want and get?
*A lot of stationary/scrapbooking supplies.
27. What did you want and not get?
*A lottery win.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
*I don’t keep up with movies, so I couldn’t really say…
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
*I turned 25 this year and had a night at a pizza place with a mate who has a birthday close to mine – with all our friends, of course.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
*Not having to deal with the flu.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
*Confused.
32. What kept you sane?
*Deep breathing.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
*None.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
*Occupy Wall Street
35. Who did you miss?
*No one specifically.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
*Missy! She was like insta-friend and it’s been great ever since.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
*That it’s okay to admit you need help.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
*If you’re wrong in all the right ways. – Raise Your Glass – Pink