Monday 10 October 2016

KEY 2: TAKE A BREAK AND NOTICE - and a schedule

Oxford Happiness Score 3.10

Noticing that this is the last of the ten keys that I got round to.
I thought it would just come naturally. Things that I have associated with it in my head are nature, counting your blessings, seeing the little things, and meditation. These obviously don't come naturally to me!

I also had another think about what kind of person I am, and how I can work with that, and this morning what I came up with was this - that my strength is the way I think about things, see patterns, see how things will turn out, and integrate stuff that other people don't think can be integrated. But how do you encourage the use of this talent? By spending an hour or more a day with as close to sensory deprivation as possible.




Well, I have known this for a while but haven't tried it. 
I've half tried it, plugging in headphones and meditating in a public place. 
That was relaxing, cleared my mind, but it wasn't the thing.

I've also noticed that this week I haven't been feeling quite so positive, and it is slowly dawning on me that this is because I haven't been prioritising these happiness keys in the way I was before. I have also not been working in the same direct way on my boundaries, with the result that lots of other things that other people need from me have started crowding in on me, and derailing me. Since I'm still not even up to 'normal' on the oxford happiness scale (which would be 4), I need to keep it up for longer. 

So today I made a timetable. The principles to it are:
- First thing I get up gently, write my journal, stretch, shower and do something towards grooming myself
- The morning will be spent working on one of my greater goals (this morning it was exploring the research into compassion and outcomes in health).
-  After a healthy lunch and vitamins with whoever's in the house, I will have 'nap time' for one and a half hours in my quiet dark warm bedroom. It is called nap time so that everyone knows not to disturb me.
- The rest of the afternoon is for practical arrangements of all kinds, and exercise. And planning what I will do and wear tomorrow. Today I used it for housework, making food, paying bills, and dyeing second hand clothes (and my hands unfortunately)
- After dinner is for being with the family, quietly noticing and reflecting, and doing sewing/ reading. Bed at 10.
- When I notice something that needs doing, I will leave it till my practical time, or write a note to sort out a way to resolve it later. 

It feels good to have sorted this out, and especially for doing the morning's work - a huge sense of achievement. This is the first time I've ever timetabled housework, and it gives me a lovely sense of release when it's NOT practical tasks time. 

Nap time turned into a nap but resulted in my having some excellent thoughts, including: 

It's great you are willing to spend 

as much time as you need 

with yourself.


I'm always trying to do that for my children, but have not at all been doing it for myself. This is the time to make it into a habit. 

Not sure this is what 'take a break and notice' is supposed to mean, but it's good for me.

No comments:

Post a Comment