Attaching Meaning to Thoughts

Saturday, May 18, 2013

From the book Little Ways to Keep Calm and Carry On by Mark A. Reineke:

"Everyone has negative thoughts, and lots of them (Rachman and de Silva 1978). Such thoughts and images can be truly upsetting, even shocking. They keep coming back, and we just want them to stop. Most often, anxiety-laden thoughts center on work, grades or academic performance, health, or relationships. Some people can simply dismiss these thoughts, but for others, it's not that simple--such thoughts and images are graphic, persistent, and disturbing. The types of intrusive, negative thoughts that anxious, worried people experience differ little, however, from the thoughts of nonanxious people. The difference is in the meaning given to the thoughts (Calamari and Janeck 1998). Worried, anxious people often think: This thought is awful. I shouldn't be thinking this; I have to make it stop. Of course, the more you focus on the thought and try to make it stop, the faster and more furiously the thoughts will fly through your head (Abramowitz, Tolin, and Street 2001). The power to control your distress comes from the ability to disengage from the thought. It is, in a way, paradoxical: you gain control of your thoughts by relinquishing control. Accept them and they no longer upset you; they may even go away (Marcks and Woods 2005). You need only recognize: It's just a thought. It means nothing."

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Homage to my Hips

Monday, April 01, 2013

they don't fit into little
pretty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.

Homage to my Hips by Lucille Clifton



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Beginning With the Mind

Sunday, March 03, 2013

Goal: re-establish my basic daily routine
Obstacles: an unemployed boyfriend who is depressed is influencing my motivation

With my attitude swinging from Drill Sargent to Goth Teenager, I need to pause and do this thing mindfully. Berating myself into a frenzy of guilt is not a sustainable method for daily motivation. Neither is telling myself that nothing matters and then avoiding responsiblity effective.

So, starting slowly and mindfully, I believe my goals for today will be:

-Shower
-Do Dishes
-Cook
-Declutter one room
-Take a walk

Things I'm avoiding:
-Paying that parking ticket
-Going to the DMV
-Seeing my friends

I've also listed all the basic FlyLady daily goals on my Other Goals page. I love checklists!

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Today's Small Goals

Saturday, March 02, 2013

-Do dishes
-Cook lunch and dinner
-Set goals for tomorrow

I find that periodically I drop all the balls that are in the air and I have to start over from square one. I'm tired of the chaos but when I think of trying to solve everything all at once, I feel overwhelmed. If I promise myself that I will make a small and thoughtful effort and be satisfied with it, maybe I will be just whelmed enough.

:)

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To Be Read Daily

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

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