November 10, 2019 - 58 - "Getting Back on Track"

Recognizing Stress

     Sometimes you don't know how stressed you are until it's over.  

     Michael 'celebrated' having completed a big goal by getting a really hellacious cold.  (It's actually kind of genius.  Your body just says:  You need to rest NOW.  And 'bam'...you've got no choice.)

     I am celebrating by eating every crappy non-food-stuff I can get my hands on, and slacking on my entire life.  

     Neither of these are conscious choices.  Okay, well, not exactly.

Mini Habits for the Win

     When I'm focused on a big deadline I keep laser-beam focus on my mini-habits.  I know  it's all too easy to lose track of them.  I also know if I don't keep them up I won't have the energy or motivation to reach my big goal.  

    But after getting our Mexico house interior to the first stage of 'done', and having a great time with Michael's kids for Day of the Dead...now there's suddenly a break.  For the last couple of days I've had all the time in the world to accomplish whatever I want to, and here it is almost 10 o'clock at night and I'm just now thinking about a post for the day.

     I can't even say what I did today.  I just know it wasn't anything productive.  

     I just sort of frittered my time away.  I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about random things.  Watched a biography of Audrey Hepburn on TV.  Kept wandering to the kitchen to see what kind of junk food I could rustle up.  Looked at a catalogue I got in the mail and have almost zero interest in.  I definitely don't need to order anything from this company.  

     I did a lot of staring into space and kind of dozing.  But it was so unfocused I can't even count it as meditation or rest time.  

Red Flags

     I follow a woman on YouTube named Alison Lumbatis.  She talks about things that are Red Flags for her as far as getting into a rut.  She says that produce going bad in her refrigerator is one of her warning signs of falling into a rut.

     I can't call it getting into a rut.  My schedule, life and constant change of locations don't leave  much room for ruts.  Ruts actually sound appealing to me.  I genuinely crave routine. 

      The danger for me is more in the direction of spinning completely out of control.  Sometimes it's like I'm too busy trying to just function to remember to actually live well.

    Instead of a 'rut' I think of it more as getting off track.  

My Warning Signs

     I lose track of my goals, then quickly feel less productive, focused, healthy, and well. 

     My warning signs (red flags) boil down to self-care choices.  Things that make me aware I'm not in a good place are:
          -putting off my exercise until later and later in the day, 
          -not pre-prepping meals (which leads to all sorts of bad choices),  
          -getting behind in my journal and with my trackers, and
          -taking quick showers instead of long baths, and rarely getting in the hot tub.

Back to Good Habits  

   If I'm exercising daily, eating well, finding time to relax, and keeping track of my goals, things are usually going well.  Just to eat a veggie, a fruit, and exercise, makes a world of difference in how I feel today, and how I'm going to feel in the future. 

     Taking care of these daily things gives me purpose when I start my day, a sense of accomplishment at night, and an overall feeling of clarity and wellbeing throughout the day. 

     The only thing I enjoy more than a day or two or full-on lazy day self-indulgence is a restarting all my good habits and enjoying their benefits with renewed appreciation.

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     What are your red flags that your life is getting off track? 

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"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

-Unknown

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"Balance isn't something you achieve "someday". 

-Nick Vujicic

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"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem.  We all have 24-hour days."

-Zig Ziglar

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