Today I didn't do my run.
Today I ate too many indulgent things.
Today I napped too much.
Today I had to ask for help.
Today I had to take my son to the childminders for half the day.
Today my son got a good job sticker for his behaviour job.
Today my son decided I deserved a sticker.
Today I won.
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Monday, 2 January 2012
Aim Low to Reach High
This seems apt at the moment because many people are, of course, setting goals and making plans.
My motto at the moment is "Aim Low to Reach High" it sounds counter intuitive but bear with me.
You see part of my CBT was learning about S.M.A.R.T. goals (you can read about them here)which I found very helpful. But I still struggled sometimes with making my goals. Then when I was making a goal about starting a crochet project I knew I can knock out something like 30 rows in a couple of hours, but when I went to make my goal I stopped. Instead of writing that I'd do 30 or 20 or even 10 rows, I said I'd do 5. I picked a time I'd work on it and when I sat down to do it I did more like 50 rows. I not only felt the satisfaction of attaining my goal but the even better satisfaction of over achieving.
That felt great, and during the rest of the week I did even more crochet and actually achieved more other things. What I think happened is by making my goal easy to achieve it took the pressure off, then when I got to the doing it the goal felt easy to do.
I've kept to that and made small goals and consistently over reached them. Yes I knew I'd over reach it but more often then not I'd over reach past what I thought I could actually do. I think by aiming below what I think I'm capable of I give myself confidence, that then means I don't tell myself what I can't but instead say what I can.
For instance, this year I want to start a running program. It's usually 9 weeks. Well I won't be doing it in 9 weeks, not with my fibromyalgia. In fact I think it's going to take me a month per step -9 steps, 9 months. However I'm giving myself 2 months for each step.
So what I'm saying is that I've decided to set myself up for success instead of failure.
I think I prefer it.
My motto at the moment is "Aim Low to Reach High" it sounds counter intuitive but bear with me.
You see part of my CBT was learning about S.M.A.R.T. goals (you can read about them here)which I found very helpful. But I still struggled sometimes with making my goals. Then when I was making a goal about starting a crochet project I knew I can knock out something like 30 rows in a couple of hours, but when I went to make my goal I stopped. Instead of writing that I'd do 30 or 20 or even 10 rows, I said I'd do 5. I picked a time I'd work on it and when I sat down to do it I did more like 50 rows. I not only felt the satisfaction of attaining my goal but the even better satisfaction of over achieving.
That felt great, and during the rest of the week I did even more crochet and actually achieved more other things. What I think happened is by making my goal easy to achieve it took the pressure off, then when I got to the doing it the goal felt easy to do.
I've kept to that and made small goals and consistently over reached them. Yes I knew I'd over reach it but more often then not I'd over reach past what I thought I could actually do. I think by aiming below what I think I'm capable of I give myself confidence, that then means I don't tell myself what I can't but instead say what I can.
For instance, this year I want to start a running program. It's usually 9 weeks. Well I won't be doing it in 9 weeks, not with my fibromyalgia. In fact I think it's going to take me a month per step -9 steps, 9 months. However I'm giving myself 2 months for each step.
So what I'm saying is that I've decided to set myself up for success instead of failure.
I think I prefer it.
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Medication
Awhile ago I was talking to a friend about depression. She mentioned she didn't want to be taking her pills as she didn't think she should have to rely on them. I understood that feeling because I have felt like that. But (as I told her) now I have a different view.
I view my anti-depressants the same way a person with...oh well lets say Type 1 diabetes views their insulin. I have an illness, my brain isn't producing certain chemicals correctly, I need medication to be well. The group counselling worked very well for me, but I still need medication and even then it's not plain sailing.
The last couple of weeks I've been up and down, most of the time I've been upbeat and happy but the bad days have happened and been very bad indeed. Not as bad as they were a year ago but bad enough to be worse than "normal" bad days. But I have more tools now and I have faith in myself that I can get past this. I know that depression lies to me now and even when it's convincing I don't trust it. I know that there is an end to it. But I still need my medication.
Medication isn't a weakness, it's a tool and (at least for me)a necessity.
I view my anti-depressants the same way a person with...oh well lets say Type 1 diabetes views their insulin. I have an illness, my brain isn't producing certain chemicals correctly, I need medication to be well. The group counselling worked very well for me, but I still need medication and even then it's not plain sailing.
The last couple of weeks I've been up and down, most of the time I've been upbeat and happy but the bad days have happened and been very bad indeed. Not as bad as they were a year ago but bad enough to be worse than "normal" bad days. But I have more tools now and I have faith in myself that I can get past this. I know that depression lies to me now and even when it's convincing I don't trust it. I know that there is an end to it. But I still need my medication.
Medication isn't a weakness, it's a tool and (at least for me)a necessity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)