03-25-2009, 04:23 PM
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#17 (permalink)
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Junkie
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
....I've tackled other things recently, namely, diet, sleep, and exercise...
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Hope those things work out for you. In the past I had things that I thought I'd "tackled," only to have them get up and come right back at me and I had to tackle them all over again. And again. And again.
The first thing that struck me as I opened this thread was the pluralis auctoris (Why do WE feel so miserable?) thread title. Although some days are certainly more joyous than others, I don't really like to be included (even rhetorically) in the miserable camp. So I went through the poll to see which things affect me...
- I drink too much.
I hardly drink at all. I'm not a teetotaler, but I probably don't average a dozen drinks or glasses of wine in a month.
- I smoke too much.
I don't smoke at all.
- I don't eat a balanced diet
[Well, I guess not. I eat a high protein, moderate fat, low carb diet. It is not balanced according to that idiotic food pyramid, but it is thought out and planned. My lipids, blood pressure, and other numbers are all right where they belong. I don't just grab whatever food is around.
- I don't get enough quality sleep
[I get up about 8 am and go to bed about midnight. Being well rested seems to tame down a number of other things.
- I don't do enough to foster rewarding relationships
[Guilty here. I tend to isolate myself, and since I'm an introvert INTP I don't even notice until it catches up with me all at once. And my generous, loving, fully functional family is 1800 miles away, no good airline connections (besides that, I hate to fly) and it's a 25-30 hour drive. I love Boston, but I'm going to move back to Kansas in the not too distant future.
- I don't adequately manage my stress or spend enough time on spiritual pursuits I'm pretty good about this. When I was married to an alcoholic I learned a lot from the ALANON program about letting go of things I have no control over. Getting enough sleep also helps me reduce stress, because my mind just works better when I get enough rest. I attend church regularly, and I do note that some of my most "miserable" friends and acquaintances are the very ones that scoff at church. Hmmm. Because I'm an introvert and tend to isolate myself it is especially important that "spiritual pursuits" involve other people. They should not be a solitary intellectual exercise. That's just mental masturbation.
- I don't get enough exercise
I work on the sixth floor of an office building and usually take the stairs, at least a couple of times a day. Like, who needs a Stairmaster, anyway? I also enjoy cycling (weather permitting) and play the string bass at a pretty good level of competence, which is more physically demanding than you might think.
And the questions: - Do you think you can do more to reduce misery—general feelings of lethargy, stress, or unhappiness?
I rarely feel miserable unless physically ill, and stress isn't usually a problem either. But one thing that helps me is to concentrate on the things that I can change (about myself) or at least influence. I can't (for the sake of my own mental health) spend much time trying to solve all the political and social problems of the world at large.
- What are the greatest challenges for you?
I tend to isolate myself. Impatience is a problem for me, and I do not suffer fools gladly.
- What can you do to overcome them?
Getting out of myself and into a group really helps keep me from being too stuck on myself. Avoiding negative influences (including negative people) is important as well.
Lindy |
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